EXCLUSIVE

SAM THAIDAY has slammed suggestions the Broncos have a drinking culture following his infamous toilet tryst, and claims the incident will bring the club closer together.

Broncos trio Thaiday, Karmichael Hunt and Darius Boyd were investigated over an alleged sexual assault in a Fortitude Valley nightclub in September but not charged by police. Despite the outcome, the Broncos fined the players $20,000 each for bringing the club into disrepute.

In his first interview about the incident, Thaiday said the fallout had taken its toll on his family.

"It's been the toughest period of my life  it's been particularly tough on my family,''  Thaiday told The Sun-Herald.

"I am sorry that I have tarnished the name of the club, the game and my own image. The last thing I wanted to do was cause the Broncos any negative publicity.

"Morally, our behaviour was not acceptable. I know we can learn from this and put it all behind us.''

The drama is one of a growing number of alcohol-related incidents involving Broncos players. Having initially protested his innocence, Australian captain Darren Lockyer admitted his involvement in an altercation with a bar manager at the Casablanca nightclub in September but only after being caught out by CCTV footage.

And in the last straw for Broncos officials, halfback Peter Wallace was arrested and charged over a drunken scuffle at O'Malley's Irish pub at Mooloolaba last month.

The NSW playmaker pleaded guilty to two charges of disorderly behaviour at a court hearing during the week. That incident prompted furious chief executive Bruno Cullen and new coach Ivan Henjak to haul in the entire squad from holidays for a crisis meeting, where the players were warned that any further misbehaviour would result in contracts being torn up.

In a further move to curb antisocial behaviour, Broncos officials drew up a 10-point plan to prevent weekend benders, including scheduling Sunday morning training sessions and a booze ban between Sunday matches and Friday night games.

Despite the hardline measures, Thaiday rejected suggestions the Broncos had an embedded drinking culture.

"We are the same as many other sports and teams. Some of the players don't mind having the occasional drink,'' Thaiday said. "But to suggest we have a booze culture in our club is not right.''

Thaiday and Hunt will pay a heavy price for their big night out. Not only were they fined by the Broncos, the club will prevent them from pursuing third-party sponsorship deals worth up to $60,000 each.

In Thaiday's case, the drama has cost him $30,000 in personal sponsorship. Boyd will escape the penalty after joining long-time Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett at St George Illawarra next season.

Thaiday wouldn't comment specifically on the incident but claimed ``the drama will only bring the players closer together and make us a stronger club''.

The 23-year-old from the Torres Strait Islands is conscious of his image as a role model, particularly to the indigenous community, and the damage the latest scandal has caused. The fearless second rower, who has ambitions to become a youth worker post-football, he is keen to make up for the indiscretion, and thanked those that have stood by him.

"I'd also like to thank the many fans that have stuck by me during this difficult time,'' he said.

Thaiday, one of only three current players named in the Indigenous Team of the Century, is in the last year of his Broncos contract, worth more than $200,000 a season. While the incident has tarnished his otherwise unblemished image, it's understood he is happy at the club and would like to remain in Brisbane long-term, even though he could earn more money elsewhere