Twist as AJ Brimson explains detail in Melbourne Cup betting post

The Gold Coast Titans have taken action on a betting post by star player AJ Brimson after the Melbourne Cup but his manager expects the NRL probe will “die a very simple death”.

Brimson appeared to be celebrating a $10,100 win following the upset triumph by Knight’s Choice in a screenshot shared to his Instagram on Tuesday.

The since-deleted image, captioned “See you at Pav”, included an attempt to cover up an earlier bet on what appeared to be a ball sport.

It was unclear if it was a bet on rugby league but the sight raised eyebrows given players are prohibited from betting on the sport.

Brimson’s own club informed the NRL integrity unit about the post.

“The Gold Coast Titans have referred a social media post made by AJ Brimson to the NRL’s Integrity Unit. The club can’t comment further on this matter at this time,” the Titans said.

The NRL integrity unit is looking into the matter but Brimson’s manager Jim Banaghan said his client had nothing to worry about.

He said the covered-up bet was a stake on Brimson to score a try — made earlier this year by his mother, who then bet on the Melbourne Cup and sent a screenshot of the $10,100 win to her son.

“The reason she backed (Knight’s Choice) is because her surname now is Knight,” Banaghan told AAP.

“She put a fan’s bet of $100 on it and that is the only bet she has had in the last seven months.

“The previous (bet) was on her son to score a try. It is all her account.

“I have got the message flows from her to him, the whole lot, and it is on her account.”

Banaghan said Brimson had lost on his own bet but got a text from his mum that she had won.

The veteran player manager said Brimson had posted the screenshot of the “win” in a rush and was unaware of the bet underneath.

“It is just young men with social media,” Banaghan said.

NRL betting scandals are rare but the league has banned several players in the past.

Tim Simona was suspended and deregistered in 2017 when the then Wests Tigers player was found to have bet on games, including against his own team.

Manly premiership winner David Williams was banned in 2014 for betting on games, as were Ethan Lowe, Hymel Hunt, Cody Nelson and Slade Griffin.

Ryan Tandy was banned by the NRL and charged by police over his role in a match-fixing scam in the 2010 season.

- with Joel Gould, AAP