Ex Canberra Raiders star winger Joel Monaghan has admitted only he was to blame for the lewd photograph with a dog late last year, which lead to his sacking by the club.
Monaghan said his "world was crashing down" when the picture became public, but it had been through no fault but his own.
He said he had set the picture up as a 'stupid prank', but his actions and the outcry they caused had crushed him as his whole family, including young nieces and nephews, came under the scrutiny of the media.
Since Monaghan's resignation from the Raiders, he now plays for the Warrington Wolves in England's Super League.