Jarryd Hayne has spent a sum estimated to be well over $3 million on legal fees to clear his name and win his freedom. Some sources have told me the figure is closer to $4 million when you include potential lost football earnings. The former NRL star, who during the week had his convictions for sexual assault quashed , has sold property he had earmarked to provide an income after his retirement from football to finance his court battles.
It’s no surprise, then, that those around him have suggested he will try and recoup some of those losses by selling his story to the media. But it would be a surprise if any of the networks were willing to fork out big bucks in the current climate. Of far more concern is the mental toll the saga has taken on the families of Hayne and the young woman involved, and that should not be forgotten amid the sight of Hayne walking free from jail.
Hayne was so confident of his release that it seemed almost a fait accompli even before the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal found in his favour. Some of his former teammates had confidently been telling people in the days leading up to the verdict that Hayne would be released. Even the family of the woman who accused Hayne of rape were prepared for his release.
The woman’s sister has been active on social media in recent days. She wrote: “Regardless of the Hayne outcome on Wednesday 12 June, I stand with a strong brave woman who put herself through hell to see it doesn’t happen again.” Jarryd Hayne le.
