Proszenko’s fears for the future of NRL media after Terrell May’s consequential interview

Details are continuing to emerge from the Sydney Roosters' stunning decision to allow star forward Terrell May to leave the club, with a previous interview conducted by the Sydney Morning Herald’s Adrian Proszenko shedding more light.

May told the outlet “Sometimes I just get ‘I don’t wanna be there and don’t wanna play” and opened up on the two times he gave the game away during his junior years.

At the time the interview was brushed over relatively quickly but it turned the heads of the Roosters’ powerbrokers and is now being pointed to as the reason for May’s early exit from the club.

May’s vulnerability to the media is becoming a rarity and with the consequences from the interview now apparent, Proszenko is hopeful that it won’t have a knock-on effect on other players in the NRL.

“I thought it was a really good insight at a time where the players and the media managers are really trying to control the message and we don’t get the players raw and unfiltered very often,” Proszenko said on SEN 1170 Afternoons.

“I’d hate for this to be a consequence where players actually clam up and are reluctant to trust media and tell their story without fear of reprisal.

“I think it’s an oversimplification that it’s simply because of this one interview the Roosters have decided, ‘Nah, he’s not the footballer that we thought’.

“You’ve got to remember the ink is only just drying on his contract, he signed a two-year contract extension for about $900k recently.

“He was a good player when he signed and he’s probably a better player now.”

May was reportedly let go due to his perceived commitment to rugby league, but Proszenko found that hard to believe after hearing his own stories.

“People talk about his commitment to rugby league, he left his pregnant wife to go and represent Samoa,” Proszenko added.

“The timing wasn’t great because he was away and didn’t have family support when this bombshell got dropped on him, he did actually take less money to stay at the Roosters than he could’ve got elsewhere.

“All of a sudden now he’s got to regroup and find himself a new club.”

May has attracted interest from the Bulldogs, Dragons and Tigers, with the Samoan prop likely to make a decision before the new year.