Anthony Seibold

Ex-Brisbane coach discovers names behind vile rumours

“My reputation was ruined in a lot of respects.”

Published by
Jake Benoiton

Former Brisbane Bronco's coach Anthony Seibold claims he knows who started the vicious rumours that have "ruined his reputation".

Social media rumours surfaced in the period proceeding Seibold's sacking that claimed he’d slept with partners of his players, taken cocaine and his wife had left him.

The ex-Broncos coach says an employee of the NSWRL is responsible for creating and spreading the vile theories online.

The situation had got so dire that Seibold hired cyber security experts to locate the source of vile rumours.

Seibold claimed that his reputation was "ruined" by the rumours and when conjecture about his daughter’s mental health entered the public domain he decided action was needed to protect his family.

Speaking on 60 Minutes, Seibold said he has now handed over the information that was discovered by the cyber expert to the NRL’s integrity unit and police in both NSW and Queensland.

Seibold spoke about the tough time he has faced after his tenure at Brisbane had ended.

“It’s been pretty tough, particularly the last couple of months. In some ways it’s like the wild west out there. My situation went viral with defamatory comments. My reputation was ruined in a lot of respects.

“The very last message upset me the most because it spoke about daughter. For my mum and dad too it was hard for them to see those messages.

“I don’t know what the motivation was for those messages.

“It’s vicious. As I said, there’s no accountability in and around social media platforms.”

Speaking on the fact he knows the culprit, Seibold said it was disappointing.

“I went through some pretty dark times,” Seibold said.

“It’s someone who makes a living from our game. There’s someone who is part of this conversation who has added to the rumours, through messages who’s then forwarded on to social media platforms.

“That’s what so ironic about all of this. I can't sit here and tell you these names because you know 60 Minutes could be charged, it’s crazy.”

Published by
Jake Benoiton