Nude pic scandal, street fight, offensive dress-ups and public urination headline off-season from hell for AFL

A nude photo scandal, viral video of a street fight, assault charge, offensive costumes depicting sexual assault and slavery, and some public urination to top it all off — it has certainly been the off-season from hell for the AFL. Vision emerged on Friday of West Coast premiership star Liam Ryan involved in a punch-up in Fremantle that marked the latest in a heap of cases the league’s officials have been called on to investigate since the season ended in September. The string of incidents has prompted a former AFL player and leading WA mental health advocate to urge the public not to place athletes on pedestals, stating they are regular young people trying to navigate life. The video of Ryan — which was widely circulated on social media — showed the 28-year-old in a physical altercation with an unknown man as a crowd can be heard encouraging him, with police confirming the brawl took place after the Juicy Fest music festival on Wednesday night. The Sunday Times understands Ryan had not been drinking and was defending his partner, who he believed was under threat, before the violence escalated. Police said move-on notices were issued and the matter was no longer under investigation. It came just two weeks after Richmond defender Noah Balta was charged with assault after an incident at a sports club on the New South Wales and Victoria border that led to another man being taken to hospital with a laceration to his head. The Tigers have since suspended the premiership player for four games over the altercation, which allegedly occurred in the NSW town of Mulwala on December 30. Balta, who has been granted bail, turned himself into police the following day and is set to face court on January 30, charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Richmond said in a statement the 25-year-old would continue to train during his ban and would complete education and counselling. “Noah deeply regrets being involved in the incident,” the club said. “After thorough consideration, which included discussions with the player leadership group, we arrived at a decision that reflects the seriousness of the incident and at the same time will help Noah address this behaviour.” Eagles rising star Reuben Ginbey will also be in the dock later this month after allegedly urinating in public at a music festival during the off-season and failing to comply with police directions by not giving his personal details. The 20-year-old had been at the popular Wildlands festival in Joondalup on January 4, with the AFL integrity unit also alerted about the alleged incident. Ginbey — a fan favourite regarded as one of the faces of the West Coast rebuild — has continued to train as normal since the charge. The AFL is also investigating Carlton president Luke Sayers, after a nude image was posted to his X, formerly Twitter, page on January 8, along with the name of a female executive at one of the club’s major corporate partners. The well-known businessman — who has led the Blues’ board since 2021 after joining nine years earlier — immediately claimed his account had been hacked, which has all but been debunked by social media experts. Sayers broke his silence on Friday, with a spokesperson for the 55-year-old adamant he was not behind the post. “When he was alerted that his social media had been hacked, he immediately disabled all of his accounts and engaged legal counsel,” the spokesperson said. “Mr Sayers acknowledges the distress of everyone impacted by this shocking incident. “Mr Sayers and the club have been engaging with the AFL integrity unit and he will continue to deal with this issue without further public comment.” Former West Coast player Brayden Ainsworth — who is now a director at the mental health advocacy group Happiness Co — said the string of events over the off-season highlighted the need to humanise athletes, who were so often placed on a pedestal. “Being in the spotlight in the AFL player comes with immense pressure and it’s easy to forget that beneath the jerseys are young men navigating life like everyone else,” said Ainsworth, who played four seasons with the Eagles before he was cut in 2021. “My advice (to young players) is surround yourself with the right support, stay true to who you are and remember that mistakes don’t define you, they shape you if you let them. “At the end of the day they are all human, figuring life out and striving to become the best versions of themselves.” More than a dozen GWS players also found themselves in hot water after a wild end-of-season party in October that included skits depicting slavery and inappropriate acts being performed on a sex doll. The “controversial couples” themed function sparked a heap of punishments not seen since the Essendon drug saga more than one decade ago and even led to a public apology from AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon. The club’s women’s team also spoke out about their actions, with AFLW captain Rebecca Benson releasing a statement stating the group was “deeply hurt and angered”. Defender Josh Fahey, who has since been relegated to the side’s rookie list, headlined the sanctions, receiving a four-match ban for performing sexual acts on a blow-up doll while dressed as ex-NRL player Jarryd Hayne, who was released from prison last year after appealing a rape conviction. His teammate, forward Jake Ricciardi, was suspended for two games for dressing up as the taxi driver who was a key witness in Hayne’s trial. Toby McMullin and Cooper Hamilton, who has since been axed by the club, were also handed a two-match sanction for simulating the September 11 terrorist attacks with their costumes, while Harvey Thomas and Joe Fonti were hit with the same punishment for dressing as NBA player Josh Giddey and a girl and acting inappropriately. Connor Idun and Lachie Whitfield were both fined $5000 for enacting a slavery scene from the Quentin Tarantino-directed movie Django Unchained, while the entire leadership group — Toby Greene, Harry Perryman, Tom Green, Lachie Keeffe and Sam Taylor — were hit with the same penalty for failing to step in. In his apology, Mr Dillon said there was “nothing funny or clever” about the actions. “The behaviour and disrespect shown do not uphold any of the values of the AFL or the Giants and is not acceptable in any setting at any time,” he said. AFL umpire Leigh Haussen was also banned less than one month after the GWS incident after dressing up as Osama bin Laden at an end-of-season umpires’ function. The official wore a mask at the “characters of the 2000s” themed event and later apologised for the incident. “I am sorry. I made an error of judgment. I never intended to offend anyone,” Haussen said. The AFL has had a long history of off-season scandals, headlined by North Melbourne premiership skipper Wayne Carey’s affair with his vice-captain Anthony Stevens’ wife right before the 2002 season. The fallout — which saw the entire nation turn on the Kangaroos great — was so brutal he resigned and missed the entire year, before being picked up by Adelaide. Tiger Nathan Broad went barely 24 hours without getting himself in the headlines after the side’s drought-breaking 2017 flag, being suspended for three games after leaking an image of a naked woman wearing his premiership medal without her consent. Brisbane were last year in hot water after reports emerged that photos of about 10 players’ “wild” antics from their 2023 US trip were accidentally uploaded to iCloud and seen by their partners, with a number of relationships said to be ruined. The club even had to deny it had caused rifts within the playing group on the back of their horrid start to the 2024 season, which eventually ended in them holding up the premiership. It was an uncharacteristically quiet off-season for the NRL, with Brisbane Bronco Ezra Mam’s head-on crash while on a “cocktail” of drugs the only cross-code incident. The 21-year-old was disqualified from driving and fined $850 in Brisbane Magistrates Court, but was handed a hefty nine-game ban and $120,000 in fines by the league and his club.