Brisbane Broncos rugby league captain Darren Lockyer has denied allegations he aggressively tackled a bar manager who had confronted his teammates for taking alcohol from his premises.
ABC TV last night aired security footage from the Casablanca bar at Paddington, in inner-city Brisbane, from September 6.
The bar's owner, Sarosh Mehta, claims the footage shows the bar's manager being grabbed and thrown by a man purported to be Lockyer, after a group of Broncos players were confronted for taking alcohol from the premises.
Lockyer, who saw the footage on television last night, told The Courier-Mail newspaper he was not aware of any Bronco player who had tackled a staffer of the bar, and denied claims he was drunk.
"I have seen the footage and I don't believe it was me," Lockyer said.
"I don't recall any of the Broncos I was with making a tackle.
"I'm not going to apologise for something I didn't do."
Broncos chief Bruno Cullen said the footage did not support the bar manager's claims.
"I think there's a feeding frenzy out there by the media," Cullen told ABC Radio today.
"Most media organisations have telephone numbers of every club ... and are looking for dirt on Broncos players." The Broncos have been embroiled in controversy since three high-profile footballers were alleged to have sexually assaulted a 24-year-old woman on Saturday.
News Limited newspapers have reported a fourth Broncos player witnessed the alleged incident in a Brisbane nightclub, although it was not known whether that player recorded the incident on a mobile phone.
The controversy comes on the eve of the club's do-or-die match against Melbourne Storm.
