Brisbane Broncos fullback Reece Walsh has publicly addressed the harassment he experienced after his private phone number was leaked and circulated online. The NRL star took to Instagram on Monday to detail the influx of calls he received from unknown numbers after his contact information was shared without his consent.
Walsh shared screenshots on social media depicting a rapid succession of calls from unidentified numbers, some arriving mere seconds apart. He initially warned the individual responsible for leaking his number that he possessed a significant social media following of nearly 700,000 people and could retaliate by exposing their details. "Whoever (has) given my number to (their) mates and (told) them to call me better tell 'em to stop before 700k people get your number," Walsh stated.
According to reports, Walsh appeared to answer several incoming FaceTime calls, but some callers allegedly refused to identify themselves. He posted a message expressing his disappointment: "If you're gunna (sic) FaceTime and I pick up, at least put your camera on, donkeys."
The persistent unwanted attention throughout the evening led Walsh to abandon his phone number. He later shared an image of his SIM card removed from his phone, accompanied by a message to those responsible: "I move fast, kids, hope ya had fun, Derricks." He also posted photographs of himself making a defiant gesture towards those behind the incident.
This incident occurs while Walsh is recovering from a high-grade syndesmosis injury sustained last month, which has ended his NRL season and is expected to keep him sidelined for approximately eight weeks. The injury prevented him from participating in recent competitions, where Australia's coach, Kevin Walters, has several fullback options, including James Tedesco and Dylan Edwards.
This is not the first time Walsh has been in the spotlight for social media activity. He recently liked a post critical of Broncos coach Michael Maguire regarding the team's handling of player Adam Reynolds. Maguire addressed the matter with Walsh, stating that the player understood the attention his online actions could attract.