Sonny Bill Williams says his decision to walk out on rugby league to take up a big money deal with French rugby union club Toulon came down to "common sense".
Williams, who took part in his first training session with the club last night, has finally broken his silence after fleeing Australia without warning almost two weeks ago, just one year into his five-year deal with NRL club the Bulldogs.
"If a lawyer, if a teacher, if a bus driver, if they're on $40,000 and they get offered a lot more to go somewhere else, what do you think they're going to do"?
Williams told the Nine Network in an interview to be aired at 9.30pm (AEST) tonight.
"Are they going to change bus companies? Or are they going to sit there and say `all these people want me to stay here because I'm the best bus driver in the jurisdiction, blah, blah, blah'.
"It's just common sense."
Williams also reveals he has serious concerns about the NRL and hopes his move will act as a catalyst for rugby league players to get what he believes they are entitled to.
"Hopefully some good can come out of what I've done and it wakes everybody up and they realise that something needs to be done," Williams said.
"What I've done, it's shown it's just not about me, it's about the boys getting a fair go, you know what I mean?
"It's about them having the balls to stand up for themselves, and get what they should be getting.
"Because if we're going to be getting treated like that, why can't we treat the clubs like that?
"I just want to see the game and the players looked after the way they should be because the crowds don't turn up to watch David Gallop play ... they turn up to watch the players play."
The Bulldogs and the NRL will begin their lawsuit against Williams at 10am tomorrow, when they seek an injunction to stop him from playing with Toulon.
