Jesse Bromwich: I grew up around drugs in South Auckland

Jesse Bromwich and Kevin Proctor. Photosport

Jesse Bromwich, the dumped Kiwi league captain, says he was in contact with drugs as a teenager but put that life behind him when he became a professional footballer at the Melbourne Storm.

Bromwich and team mate Kevin Proctor were axed from the Kiwis' World Cup plans after being caught on CCTV footage using cocaine after the Anzac test in Canberra.

The outstanding prop told Fox NRL 360 host Ben Ikin that his wife had been "angry" and his Storm captain Cameron Smith "filthy" when he told them what had happened. Storm coach Craig Bellamy had been particularly supportive.

Bromwich had been very drunk and still has no memory of the cocaine incident. Among the lessons learnt was to "be really careful about how much alcohol you drink...knowing your limits is very important."

Bromwich told Ikin: "I grew up in a pretty tough town in south Auckland and it was quite normal for me to see kids during intermediate school doing drugs, people in our league teams doing drugs, but I was never part of that crew that used to go and do the drugs.

"I've been really drunk a couple of times, tried it a handful of times as a teenager, but since I've moved to Melbourne it's not part of my life anymore."

Titans forward Proctor is a former Storm player. Bromwich, who was suspended for two games by the Storm, said there was "definitely not" a drug culture at the club.

"The leaders are very vocal that we don't do drugs. Craig is anti-drugs, the leadership is anti-drugs," he said.

"Craig was one of the first people I called when I landed in Melbourne...he must have been disappointed but he's shown nothing but support for me and my family.
"I'll never forget that. I can't thank him enough.

"(Smith) was on the same flight as me back to Melbourne (after the test) and I had to pull him aside and have a quick chat. He was filthy...he had every right to be. I'm supposed to be showing the young boys at the club what to do.

"The thing I admire about Cameron and his family is they've reached out to my family and offered support. I know he's still disappointed but at the same time he is trying to be supportive.

"We are still great mates, it's not like he's not talking to me. It's hard for me to let him down."

When questioned by Ikin on the World Cup ban, Bromwich appeared to confirm that he intended to stand down but coach David Kidwell wanted to make the announcement. Bromwich said he had brought the situation on himself, so accepted how others wanted to handle the situation.

The first he knew of what had happened was 11 o'clock the morning after the test when he was called by the Kiwis' media manager.

"He said there was CCTV footage of me doing drugs off somebody's cell phone and at that moment I felt sick because I didn't know what had happened. I couldn't deny it at the same time.," he said.

"At this stage I'd had about 10 missed calls from my wife and manager and my family. So the first person I called was my wife. She was angry, she wanted answers. It was a very tough phone call.

"My wife came in when I addressed my team mates a couple of days after the incident. It was tough time.

"I stood up, told my side of the story, apologised to the leadership group, coaching staff, and told the players in the room how sorry I was. It was a huge mistake, a dumb mistake.
"....(but) one mistake shouldn't define who you are."