Former Gold Coast Titans captain Kevin Proctor has been sacked with immediate effect by the club after posting a video of himself vaping during his side’s loss to the Canterbury Bulldogs on Sunday.
The Bulldogs won the clash 36-26 at Commbank Stadium, leaving the Titans languishing in 15th place on the ladder, just ahead of Wests Tigers for and against.
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The club’s dire season continues to limp from bad to worse, with Proctor allegedly posting a now-deleted Instagram story of what appears to be a toilet during the game.
In a seven-second video with the caption “It’s not the halftime vape,” Proctor was seen in a Titans polo shirt sucking on what appears to be an e-cigarette before exhaling on camera.
The video was posted at 3.17pm, just after half-time in the Titans-Bulldogs game.
Proctor did not play in the game, but was caught on camera by Fox Sports in attendance sitting near the Titans bench.
Smoking is prohibited in all stadiums in Australia.
The Titans responded to the furore on Monday, revealing that Proctor had been relieved of his duties.
“The Gold Coast Titans have suspended Kevin Proctor after learning of an incident during yesterday’s Round 19 game against the Bulldogs,” the statement read.
“Proctor has also been released from his commitments with the Club for the remainder of the year and will not train or play with the squad again.
“His actions breached both NRL and stadium regulations.”
Proctor has been a controversial player in his career, having been fined $20,000 in 2017 after CCTV footage emerged of the star allegedly buying cocaine outside a Canberra nightclub.
He was also sent off and banned for four games in 2020 for biting then-Sharks halfback Shaun Johnson.
Proctor, a veteran of 283 games for the Melbourne Storm and Titans, has also played 22 Test matches for New Zealand.
But at 33, his career is at a crossroads and he looks set to head to the UK Super League next year.
Proctor is out of contract at the end of the season and currently does not have a deal through the 2023 season.