The Oscar winner said he was embarrassed about an incident at a pub which resulted in South Sydney coach Jason Taylor being knocked out by player David Fa'alogo during an end-of-season party earlier this month.

Hollywood star Russell Crowe apologised Wednesday for a bar-room fracas involving his Australian rugby league team, saying it rekindled uncomfortable memories of his own bad-boy antics.

Crowe, who part-owns the National Rugby League (NRL) team but was not present at the function, said it was his responsibility to ensure everyone associated with the club followed its code of conduct.

"This kind of puerile, childish behaviour adds insult to injury," he wrote in Sydney's Daily Telegraph.

The "Gladiator" actor is no stranger to controversy, famously throwing a telephone at a New York hotel concierge in 2005 and pinning a British TV producer to a wall in 2002 for curtailing a BAFTA award acceptance speech.

But he said he had learned from his mistakes.

"I truly know what it is to have an incident blow up in your face and cause shockwaves through your life," he said.

"In the past, I have put my parents and my wife, and my extended family, through some terrible times and I'm sorry for every moment of those public floggings that they have received the residual fallout from."

South Sydney are considering whether to sack Taylor over the incident, when the coach reportedly slapped Fa'alogo before the forward punched him.

Crowe said he would not sit on the club panel that will decide Taylor's fate but he wanted to put his feelings on the record.

South Sydney finished the regular season 10th on the 16-team ladder, out of contention for the finals series.

"I would like to apologise to all South Sydney members, sponsors, staff and the wider community of Souths fans that this situation has arisen and has added the extra burden of embarrassment and ridicule to what was ultimately a season of under-achievement," he said.

Source: AFP