Sacked rugby star wins damages over Twitter photo of team-mate’s bottom

Super League prop Keith Mason will receive around £167,000 in damages from Huddersfield Giants, the High Court in Leeds has ruled.

The picture was found on his iPhone by his girlfriend, Lauren Harwood, after the players returned from a drinking binge last September known in rugby league circles as Mad Monday – the day when players celebrate the end of the season.

She posted on his Twitter account – which attracted 4,200 followers – with the message “what the hell is this?” and it remained for around two days before Mason deleted it, the court heard.

Huddersfield Giants claimed the 31-year-old committed gross misconduct by not deleting it quickly enough and ended his £95,000-a-year salary last October, just one year into his four-year contract.

The club said they became aware of the image of team-mate Scott Moore’s bottom after complaints from supporters and sponsors.

They told Mason: “The Giants players are role-models for those who support the club and new supporters”, and said his actions were completely at odds with the family values it promotes.

Mason, who now plays for Castleford Tigers, challenged the decision but his appeal was turned down by his club.

Backed by his friend, boxing world champion Joe Calzaghe, who attended the court proceedings on Monday, Mason’s lawyers argued he was “tainted by dismissal”, which was unlawful, and his potential earnings had dropped by tens of thousands of pounds.

The player also said he thought the timing of his sacking was suspect, as several new prop-forwards had been signed over the summer.

He claimed he had been given the push to free up space in the salary cap for the new players – an accusation his former club flatly denied.

But the judge, His Honour Mr Justice Saffman, said there was “clear evidence” the Giants wanted Mason off their books, including emails outlining lucrative transfers to coax the prop away from his team.

He ruled that Mason’s actions could not be construed as breach of contract, and as a result his dismissal was wrong.