As if the Parramatta Eels faithful didn’t already have enough going on. But before we throw all caution to the wind and speak openly about what Isaiah Iongi might have done, and, if so, what predicament those acts might place him in, let’s summarise what we actually know.

What we know is that some photographs have emerged from the social media cesspit, seemingly depicting the Eels fullback puffing away on a rolled cigarette while relaxing in a bathtub. A second photo appears to show the player perched at a kitchen table with his designer handbag to his left; him deep in concentration while handling said cigarette.

Parramatta fullback Isaiah Iongi.Credit: Instagram

Undoubtedly, these images were released publicly without his consent.

Which leads to this question: how does anyone know the photos depict real events? We know – and this is the part that should keep every professional athlete in this country awake at night – that in 2026, a photograph proves pretty much nothing. I’ve no idea at all whether the photos are authentic or not. Neither do you.

We exist in an era where artificial intelligence can create a photorealistic image of any person, in any setting, doing any conceivable act, with a level of technical sophistication that would’ve seemed like science fiction in 2016. And those tools aren’t confined to Hollywood studios or government intelligence agencies. They’re available to anyone with a laptop and a burning grudge.

AI is a free-for-all in a jungle of toxicity. It’s easily weaponised against professional athletes – someone with the IQ of a blunt crayon could manipulate photos of a professional athlete beyond any lingering semblance of truth, and cause them to go viral. .

Parramatta fullback Isaiah Iongi.

Isiah Iongi is 22 and trying to make his name in the toughest rugby league competition on the planet. And right now, because a set of images possibly of questionable origin and authenticity have been disseminated without his knowledge or agreement, he finds himself at the centre of an integrity investigation that might define – or curtail – his career before it’s properly begun.

A fabricated image does not need to survive legal scrutiny. It only needs to circulate long enough to cause a sponsor to pull out, a governing body to trigger an investigation, or a club to freeze a contract. AND BOOM …

© Brisbane Times