- James Maloney sacked by North Queensland Cowboys
- Says he is disappointed in himself over the issue
- Maloney says he holds no ill will toward the Cowboys
Cowboys assistant coach James Maloney has spoken out after being sacked by North Queensland for drink driving.
It follows an incident involving police just days before the Cowboys’ round 27 match against the Bulldogs in Sydney this weekend.
Maloney was arrested for drunk driving and immediately severed ties with the club.
Cowboys football manager Michael Luck confirmed that Maloney, one of head coach Todd Payten’s key assistants, was sacked on the eve of the NRL finals.
“James has left our company,” Luck said.
“It’s an amicable split. It’s a staff member, so we won’t be commenting on it any further.”
Maloney has since confirmed that he has left the club and has no ill will towards the Cowboys.
“It was just a low range load, it wasn’t over the top,” he said News Corp.
Cowboys assistant coach James Maloney has spoken out after being fired
It follows an off-field incident involving police (James Maloney is pictured, with his wife Jess)
‘The club’s position was that this was not acceptable in my role as leader and coach.
‘Personally I am disappointed in myself that my mistake has become a distraction for the club at this time of the year.
‘Unfortunately we don’t have normal jobs and these kinds of things are unacceptable in the NRL.’
Maloney won championships with the Roosters and Sharks and signed a two-year deal with the Cowboys in November last year.
The 37-year-old has been with the club since returning home at the end of last year after spells in the British Super League with the Catalans and in the lower divisions of the French rugby league.
In 2022, Maloney was fired by French club Lezignan after testing positive for cocaine.
Maloney says he has no ill will towards the club and is disappointed in himself
Club chairman Alain Fabre called cocaine ‘a plague on society’.
“Nobody is out of reach,” he said at the time.
‘Unfortunately we cannot stand behind all players and monitor what they do when they are not at the club.’
Once back in Australia, Maloney turned down a job as a consultant with the Roosters, before moving to Townsville with his family.
Maloney played 247 games in the NRL across 11 seasons with five clubs, also representing NSW and Australia in a successful career.