The NRL say they took into account Matt Lodge's guilty plea for domestic violence when they initially rejected his requests to return to the game.
An ex-girlfriend of the controversial Brisbane forward revealed details of her two-year relationship on Sunday, claiming she "lived the cycle of domestic abuse" before charges were laid in 2015.
Lodge was charged with eight counts of domestic violence against Charlene Saliba in August 2015 - of which he pleaded guilty to one and eventually had no conviction recorded with a good behaviour bond on appeal the following year.
Lodge's guilty plea to common assault came after a neighbour allegedly saw him attack Ms Saliba, slapping her in the face and pushing her to the ground according to court documents obtained by News Corp.
Ms Saliba did not attend court, and the rest of the seven charges were dropped. She said she feared the attention it would bring on her and was satisfied after an Apprehended Violence Order had been put in place.
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The alleged incidents occurred just two months before Lodge's infamous New York rampage, where he told a female German tourist "this is the night you die" before assaulting the man who came to her and a friend's rescue.
Lodge has since pleaded guilty to a reckless assault charge over the New York matter, and owes $1.6 million in damages to his victims.
But the NRL said they had also taken into account Lodge's guilty plea for domestic violence when knocking back his application to return to the league at the start of last year, and directed him towards rehabilitation.
"The NRL also took this matter into consideration when mandating the work and courses Lodge was required to complete before he would be considered for a return to the NRL," an NRL spokesman said.
"He satisfactorily completed those courses, including courses related to secondary prevention, during the two-year period he was excluded from the game."
Ms Saliba claimed she felt the need to speak to the media after Lodge told Fox Sports in his only interview earlier this month he'd "never hit any woman" before his return for the Broncos.
The News Corp report also cited police and court documents and detailed complaints of slapping, elbowing and threats that if she called the police her "life wouldn't end well".
"It started with controlling behaviour, then name-calling, then came the emotional abuse," Ms Saliba said.
"He started throwing things, physically restraining me, (he) spat in my face, then pushing and shoving me, which then lead to threats on my life,"
