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6 months ago
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Penrith Panthers star Taylan May has revealed the reason behind his recent controversy and why he has the word 'pain' tattooed under his right eye.
The 22-year-old took to Instagram last month to unveil his latest tattoo, after getting his surname inked on his neck in large letters.
The Panthers star isn't short on eye-catching ink, with the word 'pain' tattooed underneath his right eye, a broken heart under his left and 'Meliodas' - the name of an anime character - written right across his chest.
'The 'pain' tattoo in the middle of that photo, it's basically a bit of a message for everything I've been through,' May told the Sydney Morning Herald.
'Growing up, the trauma....I was in housing commission my whole life, except for last year when my parents bought a house. It was a tough upbringing.'
Penrith Panthers star Taylan May says the 'pain' tattoo under his eye is a message about the trauma he endured growing up in a housing commission
May says he 'doesn't like fitting into society's agenda' - and that's why he got his neck tattoo
May also went onto explain why he got his surname tattooed on his neck.
'I got this during our week off a few weeks ago,' he said.
'I got mate's rates. I don't like fitting into society's agenda. I like to be different. That's the reason behind it.
'I have no regrets. I am what I am.'
May made headlines earlier this year after posting a video to social media that appears to show him in a car that's doing almost double the speed limit in a residential area.
A link to the Sydney-based Ruthless Rentals car hire business was added to the footage, with distinctive tattoos on the driver's left arm proving May is not behind the wheel.
The Instagram accounts for both May and Ruthless Rentals were later taken down, with the NRL Integrity Unit and Penrith following up on it.
The talented footy star says he has no regrets about any of his tattoos
May recently made headlines for posting a controversial clip of a mate driving at 96km/h in a school zone
'I've put myself in other people's shoes,' May said.
'I was in the car, but I wasn't driving – I can't say who was driving.
'I didn't think there was [much in it] but that's the world we live in. We are high-profile [NRL players], so any little thing [becomes a story]. I heard I was under investigation, but I didn't read into it much.
'I'm back on social media now. I needed a reset. I'll do it here and there. I'll probably do it again. I don't like to see all the negative stuff. I know that's what comes with it.'
May also caused some controversy earlier this year when he left Broncos star Reece Walsh with a facial fracture in a controversial hit.
In the opening minutes of Penrith's 34-12 win in round three, May ran out of the defensive line and hit Walsh just after the Broncos No.1 passed the ball, with the pair clashing heads.
Walsh fell to the turf bleeding from his face and, despite passing his head injury assessment, was unable to continue playing.
Broncos coach Kevin Walters was incensed that the NRL's match review committee (MRC) opted not to charge May for the hit, with Walsh expected to miss at least a month injured.
The hit drew comparisons to a clash from the 2022 season, when Cronulla forward Dale Finucane clashed heads with ball-runner Stephen Crichton and received a two-game ban.
NRL football boss Graham Annesley later said May should have been charged over the incident.
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