Michael Jennings controversy, explained: Why NRL star's 300th game is under fire

Michael Jennings will lace up the boots this weekend for the injury-plagued Sydney Roosters and in the process reach the improbable 300-game milestone, four years after being banned from the game for using performance-enhancing drugs.

Jennings made his return to the NRL last Friday night when he was activated as 18^th man and will now start in his first game since coming back when the Chooks take on Newcastle.

However, despite being allowed to re-enter the league, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo has since revealed he will not present Jennings with a commemorative ball, like usual, to mark the milestone.

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“Due to past conduct, Michael Jennings will not receive official NRL recognition on his 300th match,” Abdo said in a statement on Monday.

Michael Jennings controversy, explained: Why NRL star’s 300th game is under fire

Jennings will become just the 51^st player in NRL history to chalk up 300 appearances when he faces the Knights on Thursday.

The veteran centre is the oldest player in the competition at 35-years-old and will reach the milestone by playing his second game since first being banned in 2020.

He was playing for Parramatta at that time and was set to feature in the Eels’ finals clash against the Rabbitohs, before a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs on the eve of the match seemingly ended his career.

Since then, Jennings served his imposed three-year suspension while maintaining he did not intentionally take the banned substances Ligandrol and Ibutamoren.

However, during this period away from the game Jennings was also locked in a legal battle with his ex-wife, Kirra Wilden.

Jennings was accused of raping her multiple times while they were married, while she also accused him of verbal abuse and engaging in regular recreational drug use.

He was ordered to pay almost half a million dollars to Wilden upon the conclusion of the civil dispute in the NSW District Court.

It has been alleged that Jennings is yet to pay his victim despite losing an appeal, with his application to return to the NRL allegedly including a statement of intent to fulfil his financial obligations to Wilden.

The NRL allowed the Bondi club to re-register him, which opened up the possibility of Jennings reaching the individual accolade of playing 300 games.

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“There’s a desire to re-write his story,” Trent Robinson said recently, after the club elected to offer their 2013 premiership winner a train-and-trial deal in the off-season.

“There was a carrot there to get his life and career back on track and that was himself but also through the Roosters.”

Since debuting in 2007 for Penrith, Jennings played six seasons with the Panthers and spent five years at Parramatta with a three-season spell at the Chooks sandwiched in between these stints.

He has played 73 of his 299 games to date with the Roosters.

“Definitely (he could play NRL this year),” Robinson continued.

“That’s what he’s here for…That would be ideal, and the man can play footy still. We want to get him towards 300 games.

“He’s been a Rooster, he’s done some things on the field that we need to thank him for. It’s time to finish his career in the right way and re-write it as it should’ve been.”

Yet ahead of the confirmation of Jennings being named to play against the Knights, media pressure was applied to the NRL around the presentation for such a tarnished figure, which Robinson acknowledged.

“We’re doing this for the right reasons, and we don’t want to make fanfare of it,” the coach told The Sydney Morning Herald on Monday.

“We don’t need to externally celebrate [his 300th game] if it’s not where it’s at, and we understand why that’s the case in the public eye.

“We’re okay with that, Michael’s okay with that. It’s not about a trophy presentation.”