Cleary’s strange videos excuse

Penrith’s star halfback Nathan Cleary has revealed he didn’t divulge two TikTok videos to the NRL because ‘‘they didn’t ask me about them’’.

On Tuesday, Cleary was fined A$10,000 — 60 per cent of which was suspended — by the NRL after photos emerged of him clearly flouting social distancing measures with a group of girls at his home on Anzac Day.

Cleary, who said that he was unaware he had been photographed with the group, fronted Nine News , on Tuesday night, to apologise.

He also claimed the group – reportedly friends of his sister – dropped by unexpectedly and were only at the house for 10 minutes but yesterday two TikTok videos emerged of him in dancing routines with the group of girls.

The NRL has been made aware of the videos — which have since been deleted and show Cleary dancing in close proximity to the girls — with the NRL

Integrity Unit now set to review them.

Cleary told the Daily Telegraph he regrets participating in the videos.

‘‘I messed up, I spoke to the integrity unit about what happened but they didn’t ask me about the TikTok videos, they just asked me about the pictures and I’ve already told them about that,’’ Cleary said yesterday from behind his front door.

‘‘I wish I hadn’t done the video, just got carried away in the moment. I was stupid. I messed up.’’

Cleary said he has been struggling with the social distancing rules.

‘‘I’m just finding the whole social distancing and isolation stuff too much. It’s not something I’ve ever gone through before, it’s difficult.’’

Earlier in the week, league icon Phil Gould – a former general manager of football at Penrith – called for Cleary, Latrell Mitchell and Josh AddoCarr to be banned for the season for failing to observe social distancing rules.