Prominent sports journalist Paul Kent has been charged with alleged domestic violence offences and stood down from his role at Fox Sports.
The charges against Kent emerged over the weekend, with police alleging a 33-year-old woman and a 53-year-old man were involved in an altercation before she was allegedly assaulted.
Police said in a statement both were known to each other and were both arrested by officers who attended the scene.
The man was charged with common assault and intentionally choking without consent, and has been told to appear in court on Wednesday.
The woman was released without being charged.
An image of the Fox presenter and News Corp writer representing Full Stop Australia, a non-profit aimed at ending family violence, was shared widely on social media after the charges were reported.
Full Stop deleted the tweet and said Kent's ambassadorship with the organisation ended six years ago.
Kent was absent from his usual spot on Fox Sports' NRL 360 program on Monday night, the first episode since the charges were reported.
"Gorden Tallis is replacing Paul Kent this week," host Braith Anasta said.
"Paul Kent is stood down while he deals with personal issues."
The 53-year-old's absence was not addressed at any other point in the program, which many observers, including former and current players were quick to point out would not be the case if they were the subject of similar allegations.
Roosters forward Matt Lodge wrote a scathing Instagram post featuring a segment from Monday night's show, which criticised the Sydney Roosters' recruitment of Lodge, who pleaded guilty to assault after drunkenly forcing his way into an apartment in New York City in 2015.
Tallis said the Roosters never used to recruit "people like that", referring to Lodge flipping his middle finger at fans while playing for the Warriors in 2021.
"Valid points Gordon. Can we please hear Kenty's opinion now. #askkenty #whereskent," Lodge wrote, referencing a regular call-out for fans to write questions to Kent on social media. Former NSW State of Origin playmaker James Maloney tweeted that he wanted Kent to be "treated exactly as a player would be".
"His job makes him a public figure in the game so there's no difference," Maloney tweeted.
Meanwhile, former Dragons, Cowboys and Eels player Cameron King said there was already an imbalance in the way Kent was being treated when compared to players.
"If that was a player there would be 15 stories with very little facts & cameras at their house," King tweeted.
"Do we not take the issue as seriously if it's someone in the media???"
