In particular the four words “I don’t wanna play” have been pin-pointed as the final straw for the Roosters, who are looking to build a better culture in the club.
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May signed a two-year extension worth close to $1 million in April and played every game for the Roosters this year, but last week the club told him he was free to leave immediately.
The 25-year-old was stunned by coach Trent Robinson’s decision which was based on the hulking prop’s attitude, according to The Daily Telegraph.
May fell out of favour with the club due to his carefree attitude towards rugby league which he candidly put into the public domain during the finals campaign.
May sat down with Sydney Morning Herald journalist Adrian Proszenko and spoke about his complicated relationship with rugby league.
“I gave it away twice, when I was 18 and then when I was 20,” May said in September.
“Both times I just didn’t want to play any more. I get like that throughout the year as well.
“Sometimes I just get ‘I don’t wanna be there and don’t wanna play’.
“It’s a weird feeling. I don’t think many people experience it where one week they love the game and go on the TV screens and the next week they don’t want to be there at all.
“Sometimes I just feel I could quit, like in a day. It sounds a bit weird, but I get those thoughts sometimes where I’m just like ‘Is this really for me? I’m very grateful to be where I am and play with the Roosters, but rugby league isn’t the whole of me.’
“Then you just look at the bigger picture. You need to support your family and I couldn’t do it without footy. I have aspirations to take the club to the GF and to play for NSW.”
The Daily Telegraph is now reporting that the comments “set off alarm bells at Bondi Junction” and led to the club’s decision to cut him loose.
May remains at the club for now and reportedly issued cease and desist letters to several online fan groups for starting “damaging” rumours following the Tricolours’ shock call to let him explore his options.
May was one of the Roosters’ best players in 2024, and with a shortage of quality props on the market, the call from the Chooks to let May negotiate and potentially sign with a rival club effective immediately raised eyebrows.
It also in turn caused rumours to circulate about the reason why.
As per The Daily Telegraph, May is preparing to launch legal action against three Facebook groups who the prop has accused of spreading false information.
One of the rumours incorrectly included a teammate of May and the teammate’s partner.
May signed an extension with the Roosters earlier this year, so on the outside looking in, it was a stunning decision from the club to let the forward explore other options.
The rumours suggested off-field concerns were behind the club’s decision, but May shut those reports down with an Instagram post.
May’s manager David Rawlings says “player abuse” online must be “called out” to protect athletes.
“The business transactions of rugby league often end up in the public domain, and of course where there is limited information on hand it’s natural to speculate,” Rawlings said.
“However, when speculation becomes reputable and personally damaging – we won’t tolerate it.
“We will hold any party to account that engages in defamatory commentary and where appropriate exercise legal recourse to do so.”
While nothing has eventuated yet, May will command plenty of interest from prop-needy clubs given how impressive he was at times this past season.
Originally published as Reason for Roosters’ backflip on rising NRL star revealed after ‘damaging’ rumours put to bed
