A pundit who has appeared on the BBC, Sky Sports and Channel 4 has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman at a sports club.
Danika Priim is due at Leeds Crown Court next month after it was alleged she 'intentionally touched a woman aged 16 or over' at Horsforth Cricket Club in West Yorkshire on July 22, 2022.
It is alleged Priim assaulted the woman 'when she did not consent' and she 'did not reasonably believe' that the alleged victim was consenting.
The 40-year-old, who played for England, Bradford Bulls and Leeds Rhinos before becoming a sports commentator and reporter, appeared before Leeds magistrates' court last week.
No pleas have been entered at this stage, according to a report from the Mirror.
After retiring from rugby league in 2021, Priim began a career in sports commentating and was part of Channel 4's Super League production in 2022, where she was nominated for the Broadcast Sport Awards.
Priim, who was named as part of the BBC team for the Rugby League World Cup in 2022, also covered the Olympic rugby 7s at the Paris 2024 games.
The former prop forward considered giving up her "dream job" last year after receiving abuse on social media.
"I love what I do. I absolutely love every second of it. I'm in a phenomenal opportunity that I get to go and do loads of new things. But is it worth the day or two where I have cried?" she said.
"You know, getting inbox messages from people direct messaging me to say that they want to slit my throat because I didn't like their team.
"I have thought what's the point? I have thought about stopping doing it at the end of last year. But then you remember that the people who employ you are the ones whose opinions matter.
"I'd say 90% of the time it's okay, but the other 10% can be a really rough ride."
Priim was elected as vice president for the RFL, the governing body for rugby league, in September, becoming the fourth woman to serve as the RFL’s president or vice president since the positions were introduced in 1988.
Featured Image Credit: Getty ImagesTopics: Rugby, Rugby League
Jack Kenmare