Cronulla recruit Mark Taufua has ditched Twitter and is urging NRL players to do the same after branding himself 'an idiot' for abusing supercoach Wayne Bennett on the social media network last year.
Taufua labelled the incoming Knights coach a '9ball' who he would 'fold like my washing' if he was a player after Bennett called a meeting of contracted 2012 players following a sneak visit to Newcastle in September.
The prop, who had been told earlier in the year he had no future under Bennett and was upset his teammates had been called to the meeting, later rang the seven-time premiership winner to apologise for his attack.
"I was acting like an idiot with what I did," Taufua said after Sharks training on Thursday.
"I regret it. I spoke to Wayne and he accepted my apology."
"He could have hung up on me but he was a real gentleman."
"He said to me if he sees me in the street we'd go and have a latte."
"It's all done and dusted."
"As long as he accepted my apology I could move forward from it."
But Taufua has cancelled his Twitter account as a result of the furore and believes other NRL players should do likewise.
"It's out of character - I don't usually go and do that to people - and it's made me pull my head in," he said.
"That's why I'm off Twitter."
"I try and tell the boys that are jumping on Twitter (that) it's a dangerous thing."
"It's all fun and games but we are professional athletes and what we say on Twitter could come back and there's repercussions."
"I've learnt my lesson."
Taufua has quickly settled into his new role at Cronulla and is hellbent on establishing himself among the plethora of new talent at the club.
The Sharks are particularly blessed up front, with Taufua, Bryce Gibbs, Andrew Fifita and Ben Ross all vying for front-row berths.
"There are a lot of spots up for grabs which is good," Taufua said.
"No one is a shoe-in (apart) from our captain 'Gal' (Paul Gallen)."
"I'm no certainty. All I can do is put my best foot forward in the trial games."
"With the amount of new players that have come in, there's a buzz around town."
"We're trying to raise that bar."
Taufua will see plenty of his former team-mates in coming weeks, with Cronulla and Newcastle meeting in a trial on February 18 before clashing again in round two of the premiership.