The shock news was reported by News Corp with the St George illawarra forward awaiting a retrial in Sydney over an allegation of rape, after a jury in Wollongong was unable to reach a verdict in the initial proceedings.

De Belin has not played a game the past two seasons after he was stood down by the NRL over an allegation stemming from an incident in December 2018.

It's reported that the 29-year-old found a lump in his testicle earlier in 2020 and had keyhole surgery in September - two months before his trial began in November - which was deemed to be successful.

De Belin's manager Steve Gillis told News Corp: "It's a private and personal matter.

"He's a very strong willed man and his focus remains on clearing his name before the courts."

De Belin trained with the Dragons for the past two seasons but coach Anthony Griffin said he would not be doing so in the short term as they prepare for the 2021 campaign.

Griffin said NRL training should be the furthest thing from de Belin's mind.

Australian Associated Press