South Sydney were well aware of Brandon Smith’s gambling problem when they negotiated a deal to sign him from the Roosters in May.

The Rabbitohs have been criticised for taking on Smith and accused of not doing due diligence – but the truth is they did their homework and decided to sign him regardless, knowing that on his day he is an elite talent. Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett clearly sees something in Smith. The Roosters couldn’t wait for him to depart.

Smith has tried for years to get on top of a gambling problem that resulted in him borrowing money from teammates, which caused internal division at the Roosters.

At one point, ex-Roosters star Jared Waerea-Hargreaves told Smith to pay back a teammate who was on the NRL’s minimum wage. The amount of money involved was not a huge sum – a few thousand dollars – but for a player earning $80,000, it is significant.

I asked the Roosters to elaborate on this and Smith’s gambling, but they declined to comment.

It is a sad tale. Smith’s issues led the Roosters to appoint a mentor to try to help him mend his ways. The mentor, Rogan Yates, took him to counselling to help him work on his problems.

Brandon Smith is accused of drug and betting-related crimes.Credit: Getty Images

The Roosters also tried to encourage Smith to buy a house and use his then $800,000-a-year salary to set himself up for the future. It is unclear if he took their advice.

Smith has asked those close to him, “Why am I like this?” It is clear he is tormented by his gambling problem.

All up, Smith borrowed thousands of dollars from a number of Roosters players. He also borrowed $10,000 from one of the game’s biggest stars, and owed the player that money for years. It was finally paid back to the player – who confirmed to this column during the week that he got the money – at the Roosters’ insistence.

The star, who did not play for the Roosters, was not aware of the Bondi club’s part in making sure Smith cleared his debt. It was only when I told him that he learnt why he had eventually been paid back.

Brandon Smith played 41 NRL games for the Roosters in a troubled stint with the club.Credit: Getty Images

This column has previously approached Smith to discuss his problems, but he has declined to talk. I approached him again this week, but he has not responded.

I held back from reporting the matter for a long time because Smith was still receiving counselling. But given the police interest in him, the circumstances have changed.

Smith was issued a bench warrant on August 20 to appear at Southport Magistrates Court on September 18, at which........

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