He made a final statement on the Sea Eagles website thanking his fans and supporters and apologising to his wife Brenda and eight children. In the 2003 season Hopoate breached the terms of his playing contract by playing in a fifth-grade rugby union match in the Sydney competition on 9 June under a false name in an attempt to not get caught. After his Manly club found out and confronted Hopoate he admitted that he had breached his contract and was then fined $5000. During the 2004 club season, Hopoate become involved in more controversy. While leaving the field at the conclusion of a match Hopoate started a heated argument with a touch judge in which he verbally abused the official. Hopoate was given a lengthy suspension by the NRL. In the round one clash with the New Zealand Warriors, Hopoate verbally abused a 14-year-old rugby league ball boy who had placed the ball on the sideline of the field rather than throwing it infield to the Manly player. The incident was placed under review with the National Rugby League finding that ball boy had acted in the guidelines set out and Hopoate was in the wrong over his verbal assault. Hopoate then apologised to the young boy claiming that "he was not aware of the proper interpretation of the rule" and was in the wrong. On 19 March 2005, Hopoate was again in trouble with the NRL, this time in a match against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. During the 30th minute of the game he made a charge at Cronulla forward Keith Galloway with his elbow in a cocked position jumping and striking Galloway in the head immediately knocking him unconscious, leaving him on the field with a laceration to and bleeding from his ear. After immediate review from the third official Hopoate was sent from the field for the remainder of the match while Galloway was stretchered from the field in a neck brace and took no further part in the game. At the conclusion of the match, the NRL match review committee immediately referred Hopoate's case straight to the NRL Judiciary. On 22 March, Hopoate had his case called up to the judiciary, his lawyer and coach attempted to argue that he was doing nothing more than "trying to go for a shoulder charge" and that his raised arm was just an attempt to protect his ribs. His contrition carried little weight with the panel and ultimately his defence failed to convince anyone that he had done nothing wrong and he was given a seventeen-game suspension. With his season over, his loyal club that had stood by him through many of his career indiscretions decided they had no other choice than to terminate his contract with immediate effect on 23 March 2005.