NRL legend Johnathan Thurston alive and well after ‘prank’ reports he went missing in Las Vegas and was subject of major police manhunt
- Johnathan Thurston has confirmed he is safe in Las Vegas
- A Channel 9 report on Friday said he was “missing” in Sin City
- Thurston was the victim of a prank after being late for a TV cross
- Champion halfback is part of Channel 9’s NRL coverage in the US
Footy great Johnathan Thurston has laughed off suggestions he missed in Las Vegas was the subject of a major police manhunt.
Thurston, 40, is in Sin City ahead of the NRL double header at Allegiant Stadium this Sunday AEDT – and there were ‘concerns’ for his welfare after Channel 9 reported the Queensland Origin legend was missing.
On Friday, the free-to-air network’s Today Show program posted a banner on their morning bulletin that read: “JOHNATHAN THURSTON MISSING.”
The news report then added: “Las Vegas police in case of missing NRL star.”
Thurston eventually confirmed the news report on Channel 9 – which employs the champion halfback as its expert NRL commentator – was a joke at his expense.
Footy great Johnathan Thurston has laughed off suggestions he missed in Las Vegas and was the subject of a major police manhunt
The NRL premiership winner with the Cowboys confirmed he was the victim of a prank after being late for a live TV cross with Channel 9 ahead of the double header this weekend
“It’s a joke… I was late for my live cross,” he said News Corp.
While the ‘incident’ involving Thurston was all fun and games, two shocking incidents late at night left journalists fearing for their safety as they covered the build-up to Sunday’s NRL double header.
A reporter was bailed out by a knife-wielding man while working late at night in the Los Angeles beachside suburb of Santa Monica while the Roosters and Broncos were based in the city before flying to Vegas .
The man accused the journalist of damaging his car, but left when the Australian denied the accusation, News Corp reported.
In the other incident, a separate reporter and his TV crew feared for their lives when they were boxed in by three cars during an overnight job in Westlake Village, a short drive north of Los Angeles.
They were filming their report when the vehicles came at them from different directions and cornered them.
The crew managed to complete their report, with the journalist believing that one of his colleagues had saved them when he called and possibly led the people in the cars to believe that he was contacting the police.
“It was the most terrifying experience of my life,” the reporter said. ‘It was the first time in my life that I thought I was going to die.
‘The honest feeling was that we would either be robbed or killed. I was genuinely concerned that I wouldn’t survive.’
Elsewhere, representatives from the 13 clubs not present in Las Vegas gathered in Sydney on Friday for the official launch of the 2024 NRL season (pictured)
Meanwhile, ticket sales for the games featuring the Sea Eagles versus Rabbitohs (1.30pm, AEDT), followed by the Roosters tackling the Broncos (3.30pm, AEDT), are close to 40,000 two days after kick-off.
With advertising and marketing already ramping up in the gambling mecca, the NRL hopes to attract at least 50,000 fans to the venue that recently hosted the Super Bowl and accommodate 65,000 supporters.
Elsewhere, representatives from the 13 clubs not present in Las Vegas gathered in Sydney on Friday for the official launch of the 2024 NRL season.
Among those in attendance were Panthers co-captain Isaah Yeo, Wests Tigers hooker Api Koroisau and Dragons halfback Ben Hunt.
They were illuminated by images of the four skippers in action this weekend in the US: Daly Cherry-Evans (Sea Eagles), James Tedesco (Roosters), Cameron Murray (Rabbitohs) and Adam Reynolds (Broncos).