SONNY BILL WILLIAMS says he was furious with the Bulldogs for making him confess to a drinking problem, which the 22-year-old says he does not have.

"I got hung out to dry," Williams told New Zealand broadcaster TVNZ yesterday. Williams was fined for urinating in public and subsequently spoke publicly about the incident.

"The CEO says stand here and say that," Williams said. "It's like you've been naughty and that's just the fastest way to make it right. I was very pissed off that I had to say I had a drinking problem because the only problem I had was being naive."

At the time last June, Williams told reporters: "I will be seeking professional help with regard to alcohol." But in the interview yesterday, after being asked whether he had a problem with alcohol, he said: "No, not at all."

The revelation comes during a period in which the Bulldogs and Williams have been in a stand-off over his unhappiness with the five-year, $400,000-a-year contract he agreed to last year.