NRL referee Gavin Badger has revealed he was sexually abused as a child.
The 47-year-old, who has refereed 306 NRL games, told NRL.com he was abused when he was 11 by a family friend, who threatened to shoot Badger if he ever told anyone about the abuse.
"As an 11-year-old kid, I was sexually abused by a family friend. It was frightening to even think about speaking up,” he said.
"I was told when I was abused, if I did speak up, I would be killed.”
"After the abuse happened, I was directed to the cupboard door, and there was a gun in there, I don’t know if it was a real gun or a bb gun or what. as a kid I don’t know what it was, but it was like if you tell anyone, I’ll shoot you with that.”
Badger said the abuse changed him forever and led to him dabbling in drugs as a 12-year-old.
“There was a change in me that I did notice but I thought that was just me,” he said.
Badger’s wife Kasey, who is also an NRL referee, was the first person he told.
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