The young woman at the centre of the Sam Burgess sexting scandal is now in South Africa and has declined to speak to investigators.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs believe the 23-year-old’s refusal to be formally interviewed means she has withdrawn her complaint.
But the NRL insists the woman can change her mind at any time if she decides she wants to speak out, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The England international fronted the media on Tuesday afternoon to promote the South Sydney Rabbitohs’ Saturday preliminary final against the Sydney Roosters
NRL star Sam Burgess has thanked his pregnant wife Phoebe for standing by him following his club’s lewd sexting scandal
NRL star Sam Burgess faced questions about the scandal on Tuesday ahead of the South Sydney Rabbitohs’ Saturday preliminary final against the Sydney Roosters.
During the stand-up on Tuesday, Burgess declined to directly address the allegations, saying there was an inquiry underway.
He said he expected the results of the inquiry were expected within 24 to 48 hours, and insisted ‘the truth will come out’.
The inquiry comes after explicit images of two players were sent to a young woman from Burgess’s Facebook account during a video chat which took place in May.
Screenshots from the video chat show a man exposing his torso and genitals to the woman during their video conversation.
Another man was photographed with his pants down and baring his behind, captured in screen shots from the live video.
Rabbitohs bosses refused to confirm who the players were, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Chief executive Blake Solly told the paper he had ‘constructive and helpful’ discussions with the woman.
The young woman said she felt violated after the video chat took a dark turn on May 26.
Putting on a united front? Pregnant Phoebe Burgess returned to social media on Monday… less than 24 hours before he fronts the media over the NRL sexting scandal
She said she struck up a conversation with the married footballer after finding a fake Tinder account using his images in Thailand.
The person using the account asked ‘You swipe right?’ and said ‘The boys want to Facetime.’
The video chat began with the men relaxing in a restaurant after a win earlier that day.
The woman claimed she then received a series of calls from the footballer’s hotel room.
At the end of the exchange, the woman received a Facebook message which read ‘too much’.
Records show an email was received by the club’s operation manager on June 1 and she was told the matter was being taken ‘seriously’.
But she claims the correspondence went quiet and her emails on June 5 and August 31 went unanswered.
Power couple: Sam and Phoebe are regulars at the Dally M Awards. Pictured together at the 2016 Awards
‘What hurts me the most is seeing my wife upset,’ Burgess (pictured) said while speaking out for the first time
‘I first asked the club to investigate in May but, apart from an email acknowledging my complaint, no one got back to me,’ she said.
‘I just want this sort of behaviour to stop — the players think they’re indestructible.’
Burgess’s brothers have both stood by him during the controversy, as has his wife Phoebe, who posted a supportive photo on Instagram on Monday.
The Rabbitohs lock thanked his family during a ‘tricky few days’ and said ‘fortunately I’ve got a strong wife’.
‘What hurts me the most is seeing my wife upset,’ Burgess said.
‘I’m not angry, you can all make your own assumptions regarding the timing of this whole thing coming to light.
‘I just want to protect and help my family. I just want them to be safe and happy.’
In the spotlight: Phoebe and Sam tied the knot in 2015 and are parents to nineteen-month-old daughter Poppy
Phoebe Burgess returned to Instagram on Monday, three days after her husband became embroiled in the sexting scandal.
The 29-year-old WAG, who is heavily pregnant with her second child, shared a photo which showed her sitting on a picnic rug beside her 19-month-old daughter, Poppy.
While Phoebe didn’t address the ongoing scandal, she tagged Sam’s name in the image, suggesting that she is standing by her man.
‘Moments in the sun with my babies,’ Phoebe captioned the Instagram snap, which saw her turning her head away from the camera.
The beauty wore black leggings and a white crop top, which allowed her to flaunt her burgeoning baby bump.
Phoebe is 27 weeks pregnant, and tagged Sam’s Instagram handle, ‘@samburgess8’, over the top of her protruding stomach.
Family: Phoebe and Sam are expecting their second child, a boy, in the coming months