NRL: Rooster faces sack over taxi row

Roosters hooker Jake Friend. Photo / Getty Images

SYDNEY - Serial offender Jake Friend faces the sack from the Sydney Roosters after his third alcohol related incident involving police in a year.

The 19-year-old has thrown the Bondi club in turmoil yet again after he was arrested and charged by police on Sunday morning following an altercation with a taxi driver.

Friend was charged with using offensive language towards police and failing to pay his taxi fare after he was awoken by officers after passing out due to intoxication in the cab.

Friend, who was stood down by the NRL club earlier this year after being caught and convicted of a high-range drink-driving offence, was arrested in Randwick, in Sydney's east.

He was also investigated by police in June for an alleged assault of a female after he was involved in a scuffle at a Sydney city nightclub.

The Roosters overlooked both indiscretions when they offered Friend a two-year contract extension last August, and, understandably, club chief executive Steve Noyce is furious at the decision back-firing so rapidly.

Adding to the disappointment, Friend's incident came less than 48 hours after the club used an innovative new program to teach players about social behaviour.

And it also comes at a time when Noyce is trying to find a new major sponsor for the tricolours after Samsung ended their arrangement following the club's disastrous 2009 campaign.

"I think for any number of reasons it's the last thing we need," said Noyce.

"The reality is it's happened so I need to make sure I deal with it appropriately."

The Roosters, under new coach Brian Smith, have adopted a `new attitude, new beginning' slogan for 2010.

If Friend isn't sacked then fans will seriously wonder whether it's `same problem, same ending' for the glamour club.

Noyce wouldn't discuss whether Friend faced the axe on Monday, but said he was stood down from training until the club completed a thorough investigation into the matter.

"Until such time as the report is complete Jake is stood down from training," said Noyce.

"People are entitled to a presumption of innocence.

"Get the facts first and sit down and review those ... if that takes 24 hours extra it is more appropriate to do so.

"If you have the facts you can make the best decisions."

Asked how he felt about a player offending so soon after the club's behavioural program last Friday, Noyce was clearly upset.

"I'm only human, of course I feel let down," he said.

"I'm really disappointed ... that adds to the disappointment on one hand and adds to my resolve to keep working at it.

"Everyone in this place is 100 per cent committed to turning things around. We just have to keep working hard at it, work harder and work smarter.

"I promise all the Roosters fans we will turn it around."

Police said in a statement they arrested a 19-year-old man after a taxi driver sought assistance from officers when he was unable to wake his intoxicated passenger.

The statement said the officers located the sleeping teenager in the taxi and made unsuccessful attempts to wake him.

He was finally woken and removed from the vehicle, but officers allege Friend became abusive towards police and refused to pay his taxi fare before being taken to Maroubra police station.

Friend has been bailed to appear at Waverley Local Court on January 13, 2010.

- AAP