Paul Vautin goes public with sad new revelation after NRL legend's retirement from TV

Paul 'Fatty' Vautin has delivered another dagger to the hearts of NRL fans, saying he'll never work another day in his life. When Vautin announced last weekend that he was retiring from his TV role with Channel 9, there was hope that he might continue to do other bits and pieces in the media.

But speaking on SEN radio on Tuesday afternoon, the 65-year-old revealed he has no desire to move into radio or podcasts or anything of the like. "I will never work again. I am done. I'm not looking for work," the Manly and Queensland legend said. "I don't want to do anything. Not radio, not podcasts. I don't want to do anything. I'm happy."

Vautin said he's perfectly happy to potter around his home on the Gold Coast and has no desire to get back into the media in the future. "I can spend a whole day on my own and be happy with myself," he said. "Sometimes I read, go for a walk or mow the grass. I'm very happy in my own company."

The moment Paul Vautin knew he was done with TV

Vautin was a widely-loved figure on Channel 9 for 33 years, but won't be returning to TV screens in 2025. The 65-year-old revealed the moment he knew he wanted to call it quits came while he was calling a game this year for Nine.

"Something changed this year," he said. "I'd be driving in three hours of traffic on a Friday afternoon (to get to the game he was calling) and I just realised I'd rather be at home watching the footy on a Friday night than working on it.

"I still love the game immensely but there was one particular moment when I realised I was done. The Broncos were playing the Roosters on a Friday night at Suncorp and I was calling the game with Joey (Andrew Johns). We were having a good time but 20 minutes into the second half I was looking out at the field thinking 'I am so bored'. And I drove home thinking 'that has never happened before'. So I knew that was the beginning of the end."

Vautin will be remembered most for his work hosting the Footy Show on Thursday nights, but he was also a gun commentator and analyst. When the Footy Show wrapped up for good, Channel 9 asked Vautin to sign a new contract that would scale back his commitments and only commentate games in Queensland.

And even though he was widely regarded as one of the greats of commentary, executives at Nine distanced him from the microphone towards the end of his career. Somewhat unfairly, Vautin was painted as the bumbling fool who only added comedic value, but Andrew Voss and Phil Gould have both highlighted how that was part of his genius.

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Paul Vautin lifts the lid on meeting with Kerry Packer

Vautin recognised at an early stage in his TV career that fans could relate to his larrikin persona, and he played it perfectly. On Tuesday he revealed it was none other than Kerry Packer who turned Vautin from a serious analyst to comedic genius - and it worked a treat.

Vautin revealed a meeting he had in Packer's office in which the media titan told him: "He said 'listen son, that Footy Show on a Thursday night. I want you to make me laugh. I just want you to take the mickey and make me laugh'.

"So we leant into that and found out what it was all about, and even Sterlo - he wasn't really into that stuff for the first year or two - but then even he realised he didn't have to be Peter Sterling the genius, he could be Peter Sterling the muckabout."