- Incident allegedly occurred on Thursday night
- Police attended after reports of a vehicle colliding with parked cars
- Hooper has admitted to dealing with personal issues
NRL media personality James Hooper has been sacked from Fox Sports after allegedly being arrested for drink driving and returning a BAC almost five times over the legal limit.
Fox Sports’ managing director Steve Crawley confirmed that the chief rugby league reporter would be leaving the NRL broadcast partner effective immediately.
‘James has been a great contributor since he joined us in 2016, but he’s also battled some significant personal issues from time to time,’ Crawley said.
‘In speaking to him today, James also acknowledges that things need to change for him.’
The incident occurred in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Leichhardt on Thursday night.
NSW Police said they had responded to a call in Leichhardt on Thursday night after reports of a vehicle colliding with parked cars.
Fox Sports NRL media personality James Hooper has been sacked after being charged for drink driving
The NRL 360 regular was charged after a vehicle collided with three parked cars in Leichhardt in inner-west Sydney
‘About 7.30pm yesterday [Thursday 31 July 2025], police were called to Allen Street, Leichhardt, following reports of a crash,’ NSW Police said in a statement.
‘Officers attached to Leichhardt Highway Patrol attended to find a Ford utility had collided with three parked cars before coming to a stop.
‘The driver – a 47-year-old man – was located nearby and allegedly returned a positive breath test before he was taken to Newtown Police Station where he returned a breath analysis of 0.253.
‘He was charged with drive with high range PCA and not give particulars to owner of damaged property [three counts].
‘The man was issued a court attendance notice to appear before Downing Centre Local Court on Monday 15 September 2025.’
Hooper spoke to News Corp and admitted that he was dealing with personal issues.
‘I’ve let the game of rugby league, my employers, my wife and kids down terribly,’ he said.
‘Clearly I’m not handling the tough side of the job.
‘Hopefully this is the punch between the eyes that will set me straight.’
Hooper spent many years as a reporter and columnist for The Daily Telegraph.
Hooper then moved to Fox Sports, featuring on shows such as NRL 360 and as a sideline commentator for NRL matches.
His work spanned print, online, and broadcast, making him one of News Corp’s most prominent rugby league voices.
Hooper told News Corp that he would be seeking professional treatment following this incident
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