Former NRL player Cooper Johns, the son of NRL great Matthew Johns, has come under fire for taking to the Las Vegas red carpet fan event with an inflatable bat – in reference to the Canberra Raiders now-infamous hotel stoush.
The hotel event, reportedly involving an inflatable baseball bat, resulted in Raiders teammates Hudson Young and Morgan Smithies coming to blows – with both players subsequently fronting the media to apologise for their behaviour.
The Raiders have been determined to move on from the saga, including inviting press into the camp ahead of their clash against the Warriors to show it is business-as-usual.
However, the entire saga has now continued into the fan event on Fremont Street, with Johns’ behaviour leaving both Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart and NRL officials red-faced.
At the time, it was believed Johns was filming content with Hammy Goodman, a media personality, with the intention to release the content through the NRL’s official gambling partner Sportsbet.
Johns reportedly used the inflatable bat to hit Young – while Stuart reportedly took issue with the line of questioning directed his way.
The NRL is now reportedly making enquiries in regards to the incident.
While Stuart seemed unimpressed at the time, he brushed off the concerns at the pre-match conference.
“It’s each to their own and the types of ways they want to do their, I don’t know if he’s a journalist, but journalism,” he told Newscorp.
“There’s no worries with us, we see it as a joke. I’ve been involved in those incidents and you get over it.
“You guys saw it for what it was worth and it died the sudden death it deserved. It hasn’t had one ounce of disruption for us.”
Johns has similarly brushed off the controversy, claiming the stunt was purely intended to be a light-hearted joke – and that the players saw it for what it was intended.
”I’d never ask someone about an incident that was actually serious,” Johns said.
“I think everyone sees it for what it is now — just two blokes hitting it each with inflatable baseball bats.
“I’m great mates with Hudson, and chatting with him, he found the humor in it and had a laugh.
“Obviously Ricky just wasn’t in the mood to joke about it at the time. I’ll still be joining in on the Viking clap come game day.”
The Raiders will officially kick off the 2025 NRL season when they face the New Zealand Warriors in Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium.
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