Rugby League: Inside Sam and Phoebe Burgess’s Marriage Breakdown

Sam Burgess was the golden boy of the NRL, and both his performance on the field and his life off the field with his wife Phoebe seemed perfect.

Now, the Rabbitohs star has been rocked by new allegations following a four-month investigation published by The Australian on Thursday night.

Burgess’s attorney, Mark O’Brien, issued a statement last night denying the allegations of violence and substance abuse, saying they are false and “constitute indefensible slander against my client.”

This is not the first time Burgess has faced serious accusations or his personal life has been in the limelight.

The NRL star’s marital breakup and the allegations and drama that followed came in the public eye.

The couple met at a music concert in January 2014 and married the following year in December at Phoebe’s parents’ home in Bowral in the NSW Southern Highlands.

The couple welcomed their two children, Poppy and William, into the world and life seemed to be perfect for them.

But out of the public eye, the cracks in their relationship had been growing, and reports emerged of their split in January 2019, just weeks after the birth of their son.

Not long after the shocking announcement, footage surfaced of the Rabbitohs player not wearing his wedding ring as he left his home in Sydney with his suitcases packed.

The couple reconciled a few months later before separating for the second time in October 2019.

The length of their on-and-off relationship was marred by scandals, and Burgess was charged with intimidation against Phoebe’s father. She is defending the charge and will appear in court next month.

SEXTING SCANDAL

Speculation that the couple’s relationship could be at breaking point began in 2018 when Burgess was rocked by an off-the-field sexting scandal.

One woman alleged that she was exposed to inappropriate images in a video chat from one of Burgess’s social media accounts with other Souths players.

The 23-year-old sent an email to the club about the incident, saying she felt violated by her online interactions with some of the players, who she said exposed themselves to her in a video.

The club carried out an investigation into the claims and then cleared Burgess of any wrongdoing.

Phoebe was six months pregnant with their second child when the allegations emerged, and Burgess said at the time that he wanted the situation to be “quickly resolved” for the sake of his wife.

“I’m not angry. What hurts me the most is seeing my wife upset about what’s out there,” he told reporters.

“I just want to protect my family in all of this.

“I have a wife. I have a daughter. My wife is very pregnant. I just want them to be safe and happy. In my current situation at home, there is just no possibility of that.”

FAMILY DRAMA

Rumors of tensions between the Burgess family and Phoebe emerged after the couple’s first separation, with reports that hostility between the two families may have played a role in the breakdown of their marriage.

Problems between the two families reportedly arose during the couple’s wedding in 2015.

According to The Daily Telegraph, problems between friends and family led to a recovery session scheduled the day after it was canceled. The publication also reported that Phoebe and the Burgess brothers’ associates, also rugby league stars, were not getting along.

Sam’s sister-in-law, Joanna Burgess, appeared to shoot Phoebe when she posted a picture of the Burgess family, without Phoebe, celebrating the New Years Eve festivities in Watsons Bay and wrote: “#bestoneyet.”

Some outlets reported it as a statement by Joanna that the family was better off without Phoebe, prompting her to clarify the situation, but in the process she also appeared to criticize Phoebe’s lack of involvement with the Burgess family during the marriage.

“There is no need to drag my family or me into any of this, thank you,” Joanna wrote.

“It’s not in my nature to ‘dig’ with someone. Phoebe has never joined the ‘Burgess’ side in the previous Christmas festivities, so my # couldn’t be directed at her. This year was no different than last year. your name.

“My Christmas upload last year I used a similar caption, as it was our children’s first Christmas, this year we had our daughter join the three of us, so it’s the #bestoneyet!”

ALLEGATIONS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Shortly after Burgess retired from NRL, he was hit with a single count of bullying after a reported dispute with Phoebe’s father, Mitchell Hooke.

Police confirmed they were called to a home in Glenquarry, east of Bowral, on October 19, 2019, in connection with a domestic dispute. Nobody was hurt in the incident.

“It is alleged that the man intimidated the elderly man during the incident,” NSW police said in a statement.

Police issued an interim domestic violence warrant in Burgess on behalf of Mr. Hooke after the incident.

In the wake of the explosive accusation, people from both sides in Burgess and Hooke camps revealed contrasting views on the incident.

Burgess has pleaded not guilty to the crime of bullying and has continually maintained his innocence.