Sydney Roosters skipper James Tedesco has opened up on the incident which saw him fined $10,000 last year for bringing the game into disrepute.
Tedesco allegedly used the phrase "squid games" - the name of a popular South Korean Netflix series - at a woman of Vietnamese descent.
At the time, the Roosters, said they had conducted a proper investigation, with a statement released to The Sydney Morning Herald suggesting the club found Tedesco had nothing wrong.
“After we found out about the Instagram post we thoroughly investigated the matter,” chief executive Joe Kelly told the publication at the time.
“There was absolutely no interaction between James Tedesco with this group of people. We categorically deny that anything untoward occurred.”
Despite that, the NRL would eventually slug Tedesco with a $10,000 fine following an integrity unit investigation.
Speaking at the NRL season launch on Thursday, Tedesco said he "owned up to it."
“It was disappointing as a leader and a role model for the game,” Tedesco said.
“The way I handled it I spoke to who was affected and owned up to it.
“I was obviously disappointed but happy with how I approached it all and it was all sort of settled.
“It was more about owning up to that and taking responsibility.
“Even in our pre season we’ve talked about how we want to be role models.
“I know I’m a great role model but I know I can improve because I don’t want to have any stuff ups or wrongdoing towards our club.
“If I’m out having drinks I’ve got to be aware and I’ve got to be responsible.
“Being the captain you’re not a young kid anymore you can’t just go out and have beers all the time with the younger boys.
“I’m engaged now and I want to start a family. I feel like I’ve taken that step forward and I’m really excited about my life personally for the future.
“I’m mature now. As a captain I’ve got to be the guy who goes out and looks after the boys. I’ve got to set a good example for them.”
The Roosters captain, despite being fined, wasn't suspended for the incident. Despite that, he is racing the clock to recover from an off-season stem cell procedure to be fit for Round 1, having missed both trial games.
