James Tedesco has apologised in regards to an off-season incident where he was accused of making a racial slur.
The Roosters captain was fined $10,000 by the NRL over the incident, outside a Bondi pub last year.
Tedesco came under fire after a 20-year-old woman of Vietnamese descent lodged a formal complaint with the NRL, alleging the fullback shouted "squid games" at her – a reference to a popular Korean series Squid Game on Netflix.
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"I had a Zoom call with the girls that were affected, and we had a good long chat and sorted it out pretty well," Tedesco told 9News today.
"I apologised for causing any offence or any harm that they felt."
The 29-year-old said he was trying to mature in his life, citing his recent engagement and desire to start a family.
"The wedding's coming up, I want to have kids, that's a transition now," he said.
"I want to be a family man and a role model, and especially as captain, I'm not a young guy just going out with the boys and having beers all the time, that's not who I am."
The 2019 Dally M winner has had a stem cell procedure on his knee during the off-season, as he looks to be back fighting fit for 2022.
https://twitter.com/nrlphysio/status/1489441254475976704
The Roosters struggled mightily with injuries in 2021, but if they remain healthy are among the competition favourites this season.
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