Wests Tigers stars Jarome Luai and Royce Hunt have left footy fans divided after being caught on video refusing to take selfies with a supporter who approached them off the field recently.
The pair turned the supporter down at Brisbane Airport last weekend on their way home from Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium, with the interactions filmed by their teammate Terrell May for his YouTube video log.
The footage shows a fan in a brown hoodie approach Luai while he is clearly on a video call with his headphones in. He appears to be talking to his family as a young child is briefly visible on the screen of his phone.
Luai speaks very briefly to the man and seems to indicate he is busy on the call, at which point May tells the man to get a selfie with Tigers star Fonua Pole, who poses for the picture.
May then tells the man to approach prop forward Royce Hunt, who is eating at a nearby table.
Hunt stares at May and ignores the man, prompting May to say, ‘Get a selfie!’ with Hunt replying, ‘I’m eating.’
Pictured: The moment Wests Tigers star Jarome Luai (left) turns down a fan (second from left) who asked him for a selfie at Brisbane Airport last weekend while he was on a FaceTime call
The fan also asked Tigers star Royce Hunt (centre) for a photograph and got ignored while his teammate Fonua Pole (right) looks on
The footage of the incidents appeared on the YouTube video blog of Wests prop Terrell May (pictured), who was polite and helped the fan
May then says, ‘You’re sad, man.’
Fullback Jahream Bula then poses for a selfie with the man as May calls him the ‘humblest in the NRL’, before May beckons the man over for a picture.
The footage has seen some fans slam the players for turning down the supporter, who was polite throughout the clip.
‘Felt sorry for the guy truna get a photo with Jarome and he just didn’t even wanna take 2 seconds out of his day to make a fan happy low as,’ one commenter complained.
‘Damn man hopefully Royce Hunt isn’t really like that to the fans,’ one wrote.
‘Royce Hunt could’ve just acknowledged him and said he was eating. Too much ego for a bench warmer,’ added another.
‘Not gonna lie pretty low of you guys couldn’t take a selfie with that bloke who probs supports youse day in day out it just takes 2 seconds to take a photo,’ wrote a third.
‘If you’re travelling in your kit, you’re on the clock. It isn’t hard at all to put your drumstick down and smile. Guy was polite and clearly excited to see some superstars. Be better Royce,’ wrote another.
Fans engaged in a heated debate about the footage, with some slamming Luai and Hunt (pictured with wife Shavaun)
However, just as many supporters backed Luai (pictured) and his teammate to the hilt, saying footy stars shouldn’t always be expected to drop everything for fans
‘1 second of their time is a lifetime of happiness for a fan. Players have to expect this. Low behaviour from the players & clearly taking the Mickey out of the fan,’ one supporter commented.
Other comments condemning the players included ‘who tf does Royce Hunt think he is’, ‘If you don’t want to be surrounded and asked by fans, wrong job for you’, and ‘2 mins our of your time to be with a fan, do it and shut your mouth and pretend to enjoy it’.
However, just as many people leapt to the players’ defence – starting with May, who replied to one comment by writing, ‘Romey [Luai] was on FaceTime to his family and the guy saw that and still asked.’
‘Players are entitled to their privacy. If they say yes, great. But they say no, don’t get mad, respect their space. You are not owed anything in life,’ one fan wrote.
‘I’ve taught my kids that they are entitled to personal time. If they are at a training day, game or club promo that’s their job and selfies and autographs are fine. If they are on the phone, eating, enjoying family time, shopping leave them be. Smile as you pass them and if they engage in conversation then fair game but if they are going about life away from football they should be left to their lives just like anyone else,’ added another.
‘Thinking you’re entitled to a photo anytime you like is crazy,’ said a third.
‘When talking on the phone, eating or when people are with their kids they should be left alone. The fan was respectful and left players who didn’t want a photo and moved on, so I don’t see too much wrong with the video,’ another fan wrote.
Luai (left) and his teammates were coming off a win in Brisbane when the video was taken – but last weekend they fell to a 64-0 hammering at the hands of the Storm (pictured)
‘At the end of the day these guys are people too. I’m sure if you’re respectful when approaching them they’ll reciprocate that respect but obviously be mindful when approaching them while they’re in the middle of something,’ commented another.
May’s video, which was filmed after the team’s win over the Dragons, has been viewed more than 35,000 times and attracted almost 350 comments.
The next instalment is likely to give Tigers fans a very different look at the players as they react to their 64-0 drubbing by the Melbourne Storm on Sunday.
That huge loss led to controversy of a different kind for Luai after his father Martin posted and quickly deleted the comment ‘Get out clause activated’ on Instagram.
Many fans took that as a reference to a section of Luai’s contract that would allow him to leave the club well before the end of his six-year deal if certain conditions are not met by the team.
