When James Hooper was sacked from his high-profile television job last Friday for allegedly crashing his car while drink-driving, it became the latest in a string of alcohol-related incidents involving the former Fox Sports star.
The chief NRL reporter for the pay-TV giant was arrested after allegedly slamming his ute into three parked cars in the inner-west Sydney suburb of Leichhardt shortly before 7.30pm on July 31 while more than five times over the limit.
It’s not the first time Hooper has been in trouble for allegedly getting behind the wheel after drinking – and the Daily Mail understands another incident involving a drinking session and the police resulted in him seeking professional help.
Hooper will front court on September 15 charged with high-range drink-driving and three counts of not give particulars to an owner of damaged property after allegedly blowing 0.253 when he was breath-tested on July 31.
CCTV video of the alleged incident captured the moment sparks flew as his vehicle struck the parked cars.
A resident who lives near the site of the crash claimed Hooper had tried to reverse his car after the impact, and when he couldn’t, tried to walk away from the scene before being found by police.
James Hooper (pictured) has been one of Australia’s highest-profile footy experts for more than 20 years – but that all came to an end when he was sacked by Fox Sports on August 1
The NRL 360 regular was let go after he allegedly smashed his ute into parked cars (pictured) while more than five times over the drink-driving limit
Hooper is due to front a Sydney court on September 15 charged with alleged high-range drink-driving and three counts of not give particulars to owner of damaged property
The man, Paul Green, said Hooper was ‘not really coherent’.
A high-profile footy reporter for Fox and the Daily Telegraph for more than 20 years, Hooper was let go by Fox Sports shortly after news of the charges broke last Friday.
The Daily Mail understands he has also resigned from his role with Triple M radio.
In the aftermath, Hooper issued a raw statement in which he said, ‘I’ve let the game of rugby league, my employers, my wife and kids down terribly.’
When Fox Sports managing director Steve Crawley announced the 47-year-old’s sacking, he said the former NRL 360 panellist had ‘battled some significant personal issues from time to time’.
One sign of those issues appeared in 2003, after Penrith scored an upset for the ages to win the NRL grand final.
Then a young reporter with the Daily Telegraph, Hooper was assigned to cover the game, and filed a story in the aftermath of the shock 18-6 win over the Roosters.
He was also tasked with reporting on the Panthers’ post-match celebrations – but instead, he got a little too close to the beer-soaked festivities and disappeared.
Fox Sports managing director Steve Crawley referred to Hooper battling ‘some significant personal issues’ as he announced the footy reporter had been axed from his job
Hooper’s former Telegraph and Fox Sports colleague Paul Kent recalled the episode in a 2020 article.
‘After the grand final they [Penrith stars] took a young James Hooper on the bus back to Panthers Leagues Club for a first-person piece and he went missing for 24 hours,’ Kent wrote.
‘There have been unconfirmed reports of what happened, although I can’t verify any more than pulling him out of the Peachtree Inn [a popular Penrith pub] soon after he reached his limit sometime the following afternoon.’
It wouldn’t be the last time his drinking hit the headlines.
In July 2017, Hooper was fined $400 and lost his licence for three months after pleading guilty in a Sydney court to low-range drink-driving.
The aftermath of that incident made news when it was referred to by Hooper’s former Triple M co-host Anthony Maroon, who stormed off air during a live show in sensational circumstances in May 2022.
Maroon abruptly left the studio after a heated altercation with Hooper, who had joked on air that he was going to be investigated for tax evasion, despite Maroon claiming he had repeatedly asked for the jokes to stop. Hooper later apologised to his co-host.
Before he exited the studio, Maroon said, ‘I don’t have a problem with the ATO. I welcome it, mate, but I am just wondering, when are you going to be back on the road, Hoops?’
The run-in with police that saw Hooper decide to get help came in 2018, when he was found passed out on the bonnet of a car in Maroubra after a drinking session.
That saw him charged with destroy or damage property. The charge was dropped in November that year, but the episode was still a wake-up call.
When the NRL held its second year of season-opening matches in Las Vegas this March, Hooper’s career took another hit due to his relationship with alcohol.
The Daily Mail understands Fox Sports stood him down from his on-camera duties out of concern for his welfare while he was in Sin City because he went overboard with his drinking.
One of the first signs of trouble for the former Daily Telegraph reporter came way back in 2003 when he was covering the aftermath of Penrith’s NRL grand final win
Hooper was stood down from his on-air duties with Fox out of concern for his welfare when he was in Las Vegas to cover the NRL’s season-opening matches this year (pictured)
The fact he did not appear on any TV coverage of the Vegas games set off the rumour mill back in Australia as footy fans picked up on his absence.
However, Hooper was able to write his column for Fox Sports’ website while in Vegas.
Then, just over four months later, came the alleged incident that ended his long stint as one of the most recognisable voices in Australian rugby league.
Hooper said he would seek professional help after his arrest in Leichhardt.
The Daily Mail understands he has also been seeking treatment over the last two years.
‘I’m clearly not handling the tough side of my job,’ Hooper told News Corp after the news of his sacking became public.
‘Hopefully this is the punch between the eyes that will set me straight.’
