NRL star Bryce Cartwright accused of paying ex to abort pregnancy

The NRL has been rocked by explosive allegations that a player paid off an ex-girlfriend to have an abortion.

Penrith Panthers star Bryce Cartwright is at the centre of the scandal, just days into the start of the 2017 season with rumors emerging that he paid a woman $50,000 to terminate the pregnancy.

The woman laying the claims is an occasional employee of Channel Seven and agreed to speak to 7 News under the condition of anonymity.

"He was very persistent of not being involved he just said ‘no, like I don't want to be apart of this’,” she said, showing text messages from Cartwright to support her claims.

"He didn't have a heart so he said look, this is where I'm coming from you want to keep the baby keep it but cut me out."

The messages read: "You do realise there is no way I'll be at the birth" and "We won't keep in contact at all."

After a few weeks of discussion, lawyers were involved and both parties signed a blunt agreement.

"Once (the woman) has received the settlement sum she will terminate the pregnancy forthwith,” the contract stated.

This isn't the first time Bryce Cartwright has found himself in trouble with a woman but on Sunday his current girlfriend, Shaneele Peet, rushed to his defence, claiming that the woman at the centre of the scandal made a list of demands totaling $176,000.

However, the woman told 7 News that she felt pressured by a Panthers legend who was brought in to broker the deal.

“I was like, 'I'm three months pregnant, I got an ultrasound, there's a heart beat there,'” she recalled.

The eventual $50,000 payout has once again raised questions about the treatment of women by NRL players.

Feminist author Melinda Tankard Reist said the allegations were reprehensible.

“Clubs need to do more to stop this kind of intimidatory bullying, coercive behaviour that has left a mother now grieving her child,” she said.

In a statement, Panthers Group Chairman David O’Neill said the club "had no prior knowledge of these allegations".

“At no stage has the club communicated with ‘Miss X’ or directed any other person on behalf of Panthers to do so," the club's statement said.

“Panthers have no knowledge of receiving any correspondence from ‘Miss X’.

“Out of respect to both parties, the club will be making no further comment.”