Former NRL player Hazem El Masri is set to face a Sydney court on domestic assault charges.
Police said the 39-year-old Bankstown man and former Canterbury Bulldogs star had been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault.
“The charges relate to an incident at the man’s home at about 7.30pm on Monday involving his 25-year-old wife,” police said on Tuesday.
El Masri, feted as the record points scorer in NRL history, identifies as a devout Muslim, and has been a representative of the White Ribbon campaign against domestic violence.
He has been granted conditional bail to appear at Bankstown Local Court on Thursday.
The father of three split from his first wife last year but the allegations do not relate to her.
The Lebanon-born El Masri – who arrived in Australia as a 12-year-old – amassed 2,418 points during his playing career, spent exclusively with Canterbury.
He won a premiership with the Bulldogs in 2004, represented Lebanon and Australia, and played in one State of Origin game for New South Wales during a distinguished 13-year career before retiring from the game in 2009.
El Masri has been touted as an important role model for young Muslims in southwestern Sydney.
