Brisbane Broncos superstar Payne Haas, and several other NRL players, have been thrust into the spotlight after it appeared the players were promoting an activewear brand that allegedly has links to a notorious Sydney crime clan, the Alameddine clan.
The move has also left some New South Wales Police officials concerned, while the Brisbane Broncos and the NRL have been making enquiries over the promotion.
Haas, 25, has this week appeared in a photoshoot for clothing brand R4W, an offshoot of the Australian streetwear label, Proper.
The Daily Telegraph claims that the Alameddine clan allegedly have links to the brand and adds that its members are understood to have worn and promoted clothing from Proper in the past.
The brand is owned by Fangia Pty Ltd. Its director is Tom Biordi who is the manager of rapper Ali ‘Ay Huncho’ Younes. Last year, the musician’s friends and family clubbed together to put up $1.8million in bail to secure his freedom, after he faced kidnapping charges.
R4W’s latest clothing line was launched on September 11, and had the provocative tagline, ‘Ground Zero’ as its tagline.
The name R4W is understood to be an acronym for ‘Ready 4 War’ and is also the name for one of the Alameddine clan’s offshoot syndicates.
Brisbane Broncos superstar Payne Haas has been seen promoting an Aussie clothing brand called R4W, who allegedly have links to a notorious Sydney crime clan
The move has also left some New South Wales Police officials concerned, while the Brisbane Broncos and the NRL have been making enquiries over the promotion
Haas has appeared in several promotional videos published on his and R4W’s Instagram account in the past week. Other players, including Manly player Jason Saab, have also been seen wearing R4W clothing, while Addin Fonua-Blake, was also seen pictured wearing apparel from the brand Proper.
Ahead of the Broncos’ NRL Grand Final clash against Melbourne, Haas’ team-mate Reece Walsh has also appeared to show support the brand. The footy star, 23, posted on Instagram that he had picked up a several pieces of clothing from both Proper and R4W. Both Walsh and Haas are two of the club’s most influential stars and are the club’s highest-paid players.
When contacted about Haas’ involvement with the brand, the Broncos told The Daily Telegraph: ‘The Brisbane Broncos will make appropriate inquiries with Payne and liaise with the NRL.’
Daily Mail has contacted the management of Haas, Saab, Olakau’atu and Fonua-Blake for comment. There is no suggestion by this masthead that the players promoting the activewear brand are endorsing or are involved in any criminal activities.
An NRL spokesperson also informed News Corp that the league were aware of the matter.
‘The NRL has been informed of the matter and is collecting all relevant information,’ the league said.
A senior NSW Police officer has also explained that the player’s promotion of the brands was a concern and that Haas’ involvement with R4W ‘was not a good look’.
It comes as the Broncos star is due to feature for Brisbane in this weekend’s NRL Grand Final against Melbourne
‘We do many programs with the NRL about diverting kids away from crime… this is a slap in the face,’ an unnamed source told The Daily Telegraph.
Another source told the ABC: ‘If a teenager is walking around in R4W clothing, a rival gang could attack you.
‘It’s like the Comanchero [bikie gang] selling their gear commercially.’
The police have worked closely with the NRL in recent years in a bid to help reduce crime rates around the country.
NSW Police notably warned players in 2019 to stop performing hand signals that may represent ‘postcode gangs’ when celebrating tries.
