Aaron Macey has fought diligently over the past four years to reshape his life and shed the shadow of his past, with substantial support from his enduring friendship with former NRL star and media figure Braith Anasta.

Rugby league has been running through Macey’s veins since he was a kid playing footy with Anasta in Sydney since their early teens.

However, his life veered into troubling territory in his 20s when he fell under the influence of the wrong crowd, ultimately leading to his imprisonment for drug trafficking in connection with a syndicate that included former Newcastle Knights player Jarrod Mullen.

He served two years and three months on the inside and the same again on parole.

Last week, his old wounds were reopened as his past was once again thrust into the media spotlight, despite his current innocence.

Criticism arose over his presence in the Sydney Roosters’ dressing room, primarily due to the ongoing Victor Radley scandal afflicting the Bondi club.

Radley was hit with a 10-match suspension after allegations surfaced that he solicited his former teammate Brandon Smith to procure cocaine during a golf trip in Queensland.

For Macey, at 34, the situation was as exasperating as it was painful, being labeled a ‘convicted drug courier’ despite his earnest efforts to distance himself from that chapter of his life.

Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Australia, Macey opened up about the hidden battles ex-convicts face just to live a normal life. And how hard he had worked to not only rebuild his life, but himself as a person.

‘I have always been entrepreneurial, so getting back to business after being incarcerated definitely has its challenges,’ he said.

‘I have had many issues with holding bank accounts and there definitely have been extra roadblocks into trying to move forward in life,’ he said.

‘I used my time [in jail] to read and better myself. I used my time to better myself. I read a book, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle, which changed my life.

‘In the back half of my sentence I started working on a business plan to launch a business in the sports media space: building a fan engagement app that would be driven by its own new-age media channels, a video-style podcast.’

That led to the birth of BTFU Sport, a podcast featuring Macey, Anasta and former NRL star Reni Maitua, that has rocketed to the top of the standings. 

The podcast started small, run by just Macey and Maitua, before Anasta came on board in 2025 – with his profile helping steer the podcast to the top of the rankings. 

Now there are bigger plans in the works, including a fan engagement app which they hope to deploy in the US and European sporting markets as well as Australia. 

While Anasta added the profile, the work behind the scenes was all Macey, who plotted and planned since the first day he lay back looking at prison walls and began to envisage a better life.

‘Braith has been someone I’ve looked up to as a role model,’ Macey said.

‘Obviously from when he was playing football, but also since leaving football how he’s developed his life.

‘He’s gone through two separations, he’s an incredible father, he’s a massive advocate for mental health – which is something we both are.

‘He’s always someone you can reach out to and he’s been an extremely good friend.’  

Anasta is not the only one who has been able to see past Macey’s former life and realise what he is trying to build now.

Macey spoke about the humbling levels of support he had received to help him overcome the stigma and challenges that come with imprisonment and coming out the other side a better person for it. 

‘Since launching the business I’ve had incredible support from multiple influential people in business who have known me for a long time and have seen me develop and bounce back from my mistake,’ he said.

‘Last year, Reni and I did the podcast together and we grew it from virtually scratch, to then having Braith come on this year and now having one of the top podcast has been something that I’m extremely proud of.

‘Both of them have been longtime friends since I was in my teens. All three of us are massive advocate for men’s mental health. And we make sure that we are supporting Work for each of us and anyone else who needs support to reach out.’

While Macey’s rugby league playing days are done, he has also found new light in teaching the sport to its youngest fans in Sydney, becoming a junior coach for the under-10s side at Bondi United in his spare time. 

‘I have coached them for the past couple of years. Rugby league is a strong passion of mine and being involved in the development of that team has meant a lot to me,’ he said.

‘They are a fantastic group of kids and the support from the parents has been unwavering. It’s truly the highlight of my week every Sunday when they play.’

Macey is not looking for sympathy. He owns what he did that led to prison. Nor is he looking for a handout – everything he has now, he built himself.  

‘All in all , I made a mistake years ago. I own all of my mistakes. I’ve never hidden from them,’ he said.

‘I did my time. I use my time to better myself and I’m working hard to build the new age of sports media.

‘I just hope that seeing what I have been able to achieve so far, for anyone who has that made that mistake and is inside, that it’s not too late to change and if you work hard you put your mind to it and you surround yourself with good people, you can bounce back from just about anything.’