The family terrorised by NRL player Matthew Lodge during a drunken New York rampage say they have never received an apology and they believe the NRL is condoning violence by giving Lodge a contract when he hasn't paid court-ordered restitution.

Speaking for the first time, Manhattan couple Ruth Fowler and Joseph Cartright say they were “stunned” and “infuriated” to see Lodge welcomed back into professional rugby league by the Brisbane Broncos despite not paying a cent of damages for his 2015 home invasion.

"It’s pretty heartbreaking to think that this man might become a role model for Australian children given what he did to us," said Fowler, whose son Henry cowered in a bathroom as Lodge destroyed their Upper West Side unit in the early hours of October 16, 2015.

Under the influence of prescription drugs and alcohol, Lodge physically harassed and threatened a German tourist, Carolin Dekeyser, on the street at 4am, saying: "Do you think you're going to die? This is the night you're going to die."