Greg Bird's manager suspects the suspended Sharks star is suffering from depression after he fled the country without telling him.

"From my point of view, it wouldn't surprise me if he was suffering from some type of depression," Chris Orr said.

"He's been talking to professionals about his situation. He's lost his Origin and Australian jumpers and been ripped out of the club he has played for since he was 17. And he hasn't been convicted of any crime."

It is understood Bird fled to the US at the weekend to escape the glare of the media as he defends himself against assault charges laid after an incident involving his girlfriend Katie Milligan.

It remains unclear if Bird has flown to New York to visit Milligan in defiance of bail conditions - although there were suggestions last night he was visiting friends in Los Angeles.

A caller to 2UE last night, who claimed to be the driver of a vehicle which Bird allegedly got into and asked to be taken to a pizza shop, said the incident was harmless. He said Bird told him: "The truth will come out and I'll be back."

Orr said he had asked Sharks chief executive Tony Zappia to provide statements about the incident and another in which Bird was alleged to have abused passers by from the balcony of his unit.