Newcastle Knights forward Willie Mason has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

Mason was pulled over by police in Newcastle on his way to a training session with the NRL club on Monday morning.

Newcastle Knights have released a statement saying Willie Mason failed a breath test and is due to appear in court in February. Credit:Jonathan Carroll

A police spokeswoman said a 33-year-old man from Charlestown was stopped for a random breath test and returned a reading of 0.079.

The Knights released a brief statement on their website.