Allegations: Jarryd Hayne during his time with the San Fransisco 49ers. As always, though, Hayne left Parramatta second guessing, the last to know, as the story unfolded throughout the afternoon. Simply, the club that has thrown him a lifeline next season was blindsided. Despite numerous attempts throughout the day, no club officials could reach him. To the best of their knowledge, he flew out of Sydney on Tuesday night to return to Israel, where he visited the holy city of Jerusalem earlier this month. His long-term manager, Wayne Beavis, could not shed light on where his client was when contacted, directing all inquiries to his lawyer, Ramy Qutami. Late in the day, Qutami released a statement with Hayne "unequivocally and vehemently" denying the accusations.

Jarryd Hayne is thought to be on his way back to Israel, where he had been holidaying recently. Credit:Instagram "Mr Hayne and his management are aware of recent media speculation in relation to a civil complaint filed in the United States of America making certain allegations in relation to an event which allegedly occurred in 2015 whilst playing for the San Francisco 49ers. Mr Hayne has not been served with any proceedings or formal complaint relating to the incident." Media speculation? A lawsuit was filed in a courthouse in the US, outlining some monstrous claims. Hayne's father, the former Souths player Manoa Thompson, texted this to Channel 9: "Slow news day? 2015??? Seriously." Hayne played for the San Francisco 49ers in 2015 and 2016 before leaving in May 2016 in an attempt to play at the Olympics in rugby sevens. Credit:AP While all this was unfolding, neither Hayne, his management or his lawyers had contacted the club. At the time of writing, they still had not heard from him.

When the Eels decided earlier this month to sign Hayne — their former star fullback who left them to play NFL, rugby sevens, then for the Titans — they were adamant he would not be a risk. They were getting a representative outside back with a streak of genius for about $500,000, for one season. "I don't see it as a risk and I'm not prepared to put the club in jeopardy," coach Brad Arthur told NRL.com. "Who says it's a risk? Fans say it's a risk because they are all making comments around perception." This has nothing to do with perception. Hayne has waved away any criticism of him in the past as nothing more than a media witch-hunt. This one cannot be explained away in a lengthy Instagram post. The story broke while Parramatta chief executive Bernie Gurr was also in the air, flying back to the US where he was based for many years before taking up the Eels job.

Both the Eels and the NRL were adamant Hayne had not made the police investigation into the alleged incident with Ms V known to them when he returned to rugby league — nor did he have to. When Hayne does return to the club early in the new year, he will be allowed to train and then play with the Eels as the lawsuit plays out. "We note that the police in the United States did not proceed with any criminal proceedings but we will review the information available and continue to monitor the civil case," an NRL spokesman said. Parramatta chairman Max Donnelly said in a statement: "The club has been made aware of serious allegations regarding Jarryd Hayne during his time with the San Francisco 49ers. We were unaware of these allegations until they were made public today. "As with any legal matter, it is important that we follow due process and ensure that we review all relevant information available, including giving Jarryd the opportunity to respond."

Another question that has been raised is about the timing of his departure from the 49ers. Ms V lodged a complaint with police sometime in May. In that same month, Hayne announced he was taking up once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pursue an Olympic dream with the Fijian rugby sevens team. Indeed, the abruptness of it all was surprising but those close to him explain this is nothing more than a coincidence. We still don't know if Hayne will be compelled to answer this question, or any for that matter. How Hayne handles this latest episode in his career is the unknown. He's dodged bullets in Kings Cross, won Dally M Awards, almost won a premiership, played like a reserve grader and coiled coaches into the foetal position for long periods of time. Loading But as long as this matter remains unresolved, at every press conference, every training session, every public appearance and at every match, the issue will be there, in the background.

Footy here is secondary, but it's something Hayne and Parramatta will both have to deal with.