Cocaine confession: Karmichael Hunt reveals footy party boy lifestyle
PHIL ROTHFIELD sports editor-at-large
The Sunday Telegraph
June 28, 2015 12:00AM
AT THE height of his alcohol and drug binge, footy star Karmichael Hunt would party for days on end without sleeping, hide cocaine in his golf bag, turn up to official team functions high, and even meet his “dealer” outside a pizza shop to score more for himself and his club mates.
The Sunday Telegraph has obtained information Hunt provided to Queensland law enforcement officers about his drug use, which includes explosive allegations against some of the biggest names in the two codes just days before he appeared in court.
The information was provided in return for Hunt getting a lighter sentence on four cocaine possession charges, which in turn saved his new $2 million contract with the Queensland Reds from being torn up.
Hunt would hide cocaine in his golf bag and, despite his famous sporting profile, he once met a drug dealer outside a Domino’s pizza restaurant on the Gold Coast to buy cocaine.
Hunt returned to Reds training after the cocaine drama.
And in a claim that will rock NRL administrators, Hunt identifies a previously unnamed NRL star as the person who gave him the phone number for a Gold Coast drug dealer.
The Sunday Telegraph has withheld the name of the Kangaroos and Origin player for legal reasons. He is not one of the Gold Coast Titans players who have been previously charged in relation to the scandal.
“I believe that I would have got (the dealer’s) number from (the player),” Hunt told the officers.
“While I have never partied with (the player) or seen him using drugs, I was aware that he partied every so often and dabbled with cocaine.
“It would have been for this reason that I contacted (the player) for a phone number to source cocaine for myself.”
Over a two-month drug and alcohol binge, Hunt bought a total of 12.5g of cocaine from a Gold Coast cartel.
He blames the stress of switching clubs and football codes for going off the rails.
ROLLING OVER
After he was charged, it is understood Hunt gave two statements to police in the knowledge it would lead to a lesser sentence, having pleaded guilty to the possession charges.
On March 4 in Southport Court, Hunt pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine.
He was fined $2500 and had no conviction recorded.
The four more serious charges of supplying cocaine were dropped.
THE CONFESSION
The 28-year-old star, who now plays rugby for the Queensland Reds, admits he started using recreational drugs about six years ago.
In that time he managed to escape the drug testers in rugby league and AFL, who supposedly check players several times a year for recreational substances.
“When I was 22 or 23 I started experimenting using ecstasy when I was partying and drinking,” Hunt says.
“This would occur when I had extended time off, bye weeks or end of season.
“My use of ecstasy was pretty rare and I only used it about two or three times a year.
“This would always coincide with drinking alcohol. A few years later I experimented with cocaine, again when I was out drinking at bye weeks, end of season or other extended time-off periods.
“I remember nights when I was drinking very heavily and I would wake up remembering that I had snorted some cocaine.
“Initially I would only be using it when other guys had got some and gave it to me but there were occasions a few years after that where I would buy some for myself.”
THE BINGES
“My use of cocaine in the off-season was never as heavy as it was at the end of last season. There were a number of stresses during late-2014, including changing clubs and football codes, and I accept that my cocaine use during this time was the worst that it had ever been by far and I regret it.”
He says he did not delete the phone number of the alleged drug dealer from his mobile phone until he moved from the Gold Coast to Brisbane last December to begin training with the Queensland Reds.
“My memory from around this time was very hazy because of the amount I was drinking during the end-of-season weeks and I was using a fair bit of cocaine during that time as well,” he says.
END-OF-SEASON PARTY
Before their last game of the season against the West Coast Eagles, Hunt reveals a unit was booked in Burleigh for the Gold Coast Suns AFL players to party for a few days.
In the week leading up to the party, Hunt says he gave another former NRL player “a couple of grand” for him to purchase “two eight-balls of cocaine”.
Another Suns player paid half the money. Again for legal reasons, The Sunday Telegraph is withholding his name.
“I kept the cocaine at home in a golf bag and then at a later date at the Burleigh apartment,” Hunt said.
“The cocaine was purchased for our personal use during the end-of-season celebrations.
“There was no financial gain for me at all.”
THE MAD MONDAY
Celebrations were held at Swell Apartments in Burleigh, about 100m from the beach on the famous party strip.
Hunt said he and another player checked into the apartment on Sunday night, August 31.
The players then attended a club dinner and party before returning to the apartment at midnight. He names five other players who were with them. Their names cannot be published either.
“I was very drunk by the time we got back to the apartment,” Hunt said.
“I had used a little bit of cocaine at the party and I was affected by both alcohol and cocaine.
“I put the cocaine I bought on the dining room table.
“I was vaguely aware that most people there were using the cocaine during the night. I noticed the next morning all the cocaine had gone.”
At 7.26am Hunt made a call to the dealer to get more.
THE HINTERLANDS
The next morning club members travelled on a bus to the Hinterlands for a lunch at the Bearded Dragon.
Most of them hadn’t slept from the party.
Because it was a public place, Hunt says he used cocaine that day in the toilet.
“I had not slept all night and looking back I remember feeling delusional on the day,” he said.
THE GOLF TRIP
A week after the Mad Monday celebration, a group of Suns players went on an end-of-*season golfing holiday to the Sunshine Coast.
The players took 30 cases of beer and some premixed UDL cans of Vodka.
And of course Hunt took some cocaine.
According to Hunt, all but two players used the cocaine. It was before this getaway that Hunt met the (drug dealer) for the one and only time.
“I met with (the dealer) at Domino’s Pizza on the Gold Coast Highway at the end of Miami, start of Broadbeach,” he said.
“I was with (a player) and we chipped in about half the money each as the cocaine was for both of us.
“I was pretty drunk for the first three days and I was using cocaine.
“We would play golf and drink throughout the day. At night we would drink alcohol and use cocaine.
“I was vaguely aware that most people there were using the cocaine at nights.
“I don’t recall who did and didn’t use it as I was drunk and affected by the cocaine.
“However I definitely know that (a player) and (a player) didn’t use any cocaine on that trip as they are both very anti-drugs and that has always been the case since I have known them.
“My memory from around this time was very hazy because of the amount I was drinking during the end-of-season weeks and I was using fair bit of cocaine around that time as well.”
