Rugby league: Disgraced NRL star Ben Barba called cops 'racists' in angry rant before arrest

Ben Barba calls police officers 'racists', throws himself to the floor before being arrested. Photo / ABC

Video has emerged of disgraced NRL star Ben Barba calling police officers 'racists' before he was arrested earlier this month.

The former player, whose career was ended over an alleged physical altercation with his partner Ainslie Currie on Australia Day earlier this year, was arrested this month for a disturbance at his home.

Police were called on May 6 after reports of a domestic incident. Officers were wearing cameras which captured a Barba rant following his arrest. It was played in Mackay Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

"What the f*** are you doing here," Barba can be heard saying to police.

"Why'd you push me over for? Just because you've a f***ing old white copper you just push me over," Barba said to officers.

An officer could be heard telling Barba: "It's everything to do with your behaviour and nothing to do with your race," as he was arrested for obstruction.

Barba has been ordered to perform 150 hours of community service following the January incident.

Barba was dismissed from the Cowboys for breach of contact before playing a single game for the team after reports emerged he was being investigated by Townsville Police over an incident at Townsville Casino that was captured on CCTV.

Ben Barba. Photo / Photosport

After viewing the video of the incident, NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg confirmed there was a "physical altercation between the player and his partner" and Barba was banned from the NRL indefinitely.

"His registration with the game is no longer and I can't see a time, at any time in the future, that he'll be welcomed back," Greenberg said at the time.

"What I am going to say is that in the jurisdiction that I uphold, there's no place for him. It's probably time for Ben to find a new vocation."

It's a stunning fall from grace for the former Bulldog and Bronco, who won the Dally M Medal for best player of the year in 2012 and the Man of Steel award for Super League player of the year in 2018, and commanded a salary of up to $500,000 a year.

While a successful one, the 29-year-old's career has been marred by controversy.

In 2013, pictures emerged of Ms Currie with a bloodied face, accompanied by text messages in which she described a domestic assault to a friend. She later denied it was Barba.

In 2016, Barba was fired from the Cronulla Sharks after testing positive to cocaine.