An icon of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Nathan Merritt, has pleaded guilty following an incident over the weekend that saw him caught drink-driving at more than three times the legal limit.
As reported by The Daily Telegraph, Merritt pleaded guilty to high-range drink-driving at Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday and was fined $1500 after he returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.184 the previous night in Sydney's inner west.
It is understood that he was stopped around 11pm on Saturday after running a red light on New Canterbury Rd in Petersham.
“The driver was stopped and arrested after a roadside breath test was positive,” a statement from NSW Police read via Sky News.
“The 41-year-old man was taken to Newtown Police Station where he returned an alleged breath-analysis reading of 0.184.
“He's now been charged with high-range drink PCA and breach of bail. He was refused bail to appear in Parramatta Local Court today.”
Last playing in the NRL in 2014, Merritt appeared in 237 first-grade matches across 13 seasons in the NRL with the Cronulla Sharks (2004-05) and South Sydney Rabbitohs (2002-03 and 2006-14) in which he scored 154 career tries.
The drink-driving offence is his second latest off-field offence in the past few months, as he was arrested in February and was charged with common assault and affray following an alleged incident involving him and his partner Faith Phillips.
It is understood that the incident saw the retired winger allegedly assault his partner and then tussle with security outside a licensed venue.
