The outgoing NRL referee is a survivor of child sex abuse and says he has 'no doubt I'd be in jail or dead' if it wasn't for the game | proshenks SMHsport
"I had to tell her something, so I started to talk about it. Once I started talking, I couldn't shut up."That was the moment that prompted Badger, who will be officiating in the NRL for the final time in the Panthers-Bulldogs clash on Saturday, to speak for the first time about a burden he had been carrying from the age of 11.
"No kid should ever feel home is not a safe place," he said. "It sent me to the streets a bit, I'd try to spend as little time at home as possible.NRL Photos "At around 15 or 16 I started trying other stuff. That happened because one person decided to do something horrendous to me."It could have been a BB gun for all I know, but there was a rifle in the cupboard and that was for me if I told anyone.Credit:Badger survived to tell his story in the hope it will encourage others to do likewise. To bring attention to the fact that the vast majority of victims are sexually abused by someone they know.
"It has made my life as well. Everything I have, all the good things in my life apart from the kids and grandson, is generally footy related. I'm indebted to rugby league for the rest of my life."
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