"Do you know who I am?"
The well-worn catchphrase of famous people caught in embarrassing situations was wielded to little effect before dual code rugby great Wendell Sailor was arrested during a drunken night out.
The former Wallabies player became agitated when talking to another man at Pappy’s Bar in Sydney’s city centre after 8.30pm on November 6, 2024, according to agreed facts of his court case.
The bar manager threatened to call police after asking the 51-year-old to leave the bar at least three times because of his level of intoxication.
“F***ing call the cops and see what happens,” Sailor replied, according to court documents.
“Do you know who I am? You’re f***ing done.”
Police spoke to him outside the bar before he spotted the man whom he accused of trying to fight him and gave chase, the agreed facts state.
Reinforcements were called to help arrest the former NRL and rugby union international, who maintained his capture was racially motivated.
He was subsequently granted bail on conditions that included a prohibition on being intoxicated in public.
But the premiership-winning NRL star ignored the restriction when he went to a sports bar in Wollongong and drank a large volume of alcohol on January 5, 2025, according to the agreed facts.
Police were called after he became aggressive with a taxi driver and found Sailor stumbling and swaying in the middle of the road.
He smelled strongly of alcohol and was slurring his words as he abused officers, the agreed facts state.
Officers called for backup as they struggled to arrest an increasingly aggressive former NRL star, who tensed his arms to prevent handcuffs being placed on him and braced himself against the car.
He resisted nine officers before eventually being taken into custody, where the agreed facts say he continued to be aggressive and hostile.
The 51-year-old appeared in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Monday after pleading guilty to failing to leave a premises after being excluded, intimidation, and resisting police.
His lawyer asked the court to dismiss the charges on mental health grounds, citing information arising out of a psychiatric report.
If the application is not successful when it's heard on Friday, Sailor will be sentenced.
The former rugby great is in the process of a difficult separation from his wife of nearly three decades, a court was previously told.
He represented Australia in rugby league and rugby union, distinguishing himself as the top try-scorer when the national side won the Rugby League World Cup in 2000.
Sailor also proved a prolific scorer during a four-year rugby union stint, crossing 13 times in 37 games for the Wallabies and earning a start in the 2003 World Cup final.
He finished his 222-game NRL career in 2009 after nine seasons with the Brisbane Broncos and two seasons with St George Illawarra.
