The Queensland Reds forward was arrested on February 5 and charged with assaulting or obstructing police.

He allegedly threatened police in the Fortitude Valley Police Beat early that morning after a friend was arrested nearby.

Defence lawyer Angelo Venardos told the court video footage of the incident was "quite telling".

Outside court, he said the footage included body-worn police camera video and CCTV but declined to elaborate on whether it would help Higginbotham's case.

"You can draw your own interpretation about that," he said.

Mr Venardos said his client was "doing it pretty tough but he's OK".

"He's got nothing to be embarrassed about," he said, adding that he would be asking prosecutors to consider dropping the charges.

Higginbotham, 30, was also charged with being in a police station without a reason.

His appearance was excused in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday as his charges were heard for the first time.

The case was adjourned until March 22, for case conferencing.

The Australian Rugby Union's integrity unit investigated the incident but Higginbotham was never stood down and played a trial match last week.

Mr Venardos said the case had been a distraction to his client's preparation for the upcoming Super Rugby season.

A now-deleted Instagram post showed the player out with a teammate earlier in the night but a QRU spokesman said no other Reds were involved in the incident.

Higginbotham returned to the Reds this season after a three-year stint with the Melbourne Rebels.