Australian Football's Bestiality HORROR!

Canberra Raiders officials are investigating an incident featuring representative star Joel Monaghan photographed in a sex act with a dog.

NRL star shamed for dog sex photo
A photograph has emerged of Canberra Raiders star, Joel Monaghan, appearing to engage in a sex act with a dog.

CANBERRA representative star Joel Monaghan faces the sack after admitting to a simulated sex act with a teammate's dog that was photographed and posted on Twitter.

As photos of the drunken Mad Monday "prank" sparked widespread condemnation, a distressed Monaghan last night issued a statement through his manager Jim Banaghan in which he apologised for "a moment of abject stupidity" and conceded "there must be ramifications".

Bizarrely, Monaghan said he was "playing a prank on an absent teammate". The incident occurred that weekend during a party for Canberra players and friends, and the labrador involved is understood to belong to a teammate of Monaghan's.

More than one photo was taken as a camera can be seen in the images that were widely circulated on the internet yesterday. Whether any other Raiders players are under investigation was unclear last night, but Monaghan's career hangs firmly in the balance after NRL chief executive David Gallop warned Canberra officials they were expected to take appropriate action.

"We have a system of allowing clubs to take the initial action in relation to disciplinary issues as they are the employers and we will maintain that principle," Gallop said. "The fact of the matter remains that in any circumstance this is an appalling incident and one that has offended everyone associated with the sport. It is important that the club deals with it appropriately and that it reports to the NRL as soon as possible on the outcomes."

Initially, it was suggested to the Herald that Monaghan was the victim of a prank by teammates after passing out while drunk but he later accepted full responsibility for his action in the statement issued through Banaghan. "Joel can't blame anyone but himself for an act of stupidity that will haunt him for the rest of his life," Banaghan said. "'Joel wants to make it clear that he was the one playing a prank on an absent teammate by simulating the act. There are no words of explanation that can be offered because none can be appropriate. Joel has to now face his family as well as fans and supporters with that shame and has already undergone counseling to help him cope with the consequences of what has happened.

"It was a moment of abject stupidity brought about by too much drink and a complete lack of any thought process. The fact that someone has sought to compound the situation further by the use of social media only adds to the trauma but Joel accepts that it is his actions alone that are at fault. He apologises unreservedly for the outrage that people feel at the moment, and blames nobody but himself."

While photos of the incident have been circulating for some time in Canberra, they received massive exposure yesterday after being posted on Twitter the previous night. Last night, the issue was listed as the 10th most popular subject on Twitter worldwide.

Australia's youngest Federal MP, Wyatt Roy also became embroiled in the controversy after it was revealed the photos had been sent to media identities, including Triple M's Mark Geyer and News Ltd columnist Andrew Bolt, from a fake account in Roy's name. Roy's spokeswoman Amanda Templeton told the Herald the 20-year-old Queensland politician was unaware someone else was using his name on Twitter, and he did not know about the photos.

The fake Wyatt Roy last night posted on Twitter: "This account is in no way linked to the real Wyatt Roy MP, Federal member for Longman. Its a fake/parody account. Twitter is full of them."

He also claimed to possess other photos of Monaghan and to have previously contacted the Raiders. Raiders chief Don Furner, at a launch for the club's 2011 membership drive, said he had not seen the photos but was investigating. "I think it's a great example of why you shouldn't be out drinking and having these big drinking sessions … because stupid things happen and people are left with regrettable situations like this."

~ from The Sydney Morning Herald