The AFL will speak with Richmond superstar Dustin Martin in the coming days as they gather information on a leaked video of him appearing to grope a woman.
An anonymous Twitter account posted the video, which dates back to 2015, in an attempt to damage Martin ahead of the 2022 finals series according to the Herald Sun’s Jon Ralph.
Martin now faces a potential sanction after the league’s integrity unit investigates the incident and whether it breached the respect and responsibility policy.
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Richmond coach Damien Hardwick addressed the incident for the first time speaking on Fox Footy before the elimination final against Brisbane.
“These thing happen from time to time in footy clubs,” he said.
“We’ve dealt with a few issues (before) and we’ll deal with more issues again in the future, but the reality is the guys will move on with it.
“It has been a little bit of a distraction but the fact of the matter is, the guys are here to get a job done and so are we.”
The incident in the video took place at a private function at the Sporting Globe Hotel in Melbourne with a suspended fine looming as the most likely punishment.
“Those front page headlines, clearly a significant distraction for the Tigers today, they had to work through that,” Jon Ralph said on Fox Footy.
“The context is relevant – so a video of Dustin Martin touching the breast of a stripper at a player arranged function believed to be at the 2015 finals campaign or after it.
“A private room at the Sporting Globe Hotel in Melbourne, a video released by a Twitter handle that was created specially to damage Martin on the eve of the finals.
“And yet clearly it is a breach of the respect and responsibility policy. I understand the AFL will interview Martin in the coming days. Richmond told Martin today, ‘just concentrate on the game, we’ll work through those issues in the subsequent days.’
“I think the Jordan De Goey situation of only months ago is instructive and is clearly relevant here. It saw him (De Goey) handed a $25,000 suspended fine, but certainly not suspended for any games, able to play the next week if he apologised.
“I think we all expect that that would probably be adequate, and then of course, having dealt with it appropriately, the AFL and Richmond would be able to move on.”
