South Australian AFL player says leaked nude photo is fake and will pursue charges over leak

An SA footy star embroiled in the AFL nude photo scandal says he will pursue criminal charges over the leak after having his name “dragged through the mud”.

A South Australian football star embroiled in the AFL nude photo scandal says he will pursue criminal charges over the leak after having his name “dragged through the mud”.

The footballer, who has now retired and denied the photo purportedly of him was real, said he would speak with police on Friday and would “for sure” like to see a harsh sentence handed down over the scandal.

“I feel it’s the right thing to do because they’ve done the wrong thing and shouldn’t get away with it,” he told The Advertiser.

The footballer, who asked not to be named, said he became aware of the images after he was sent the list on Wednesday.

He said the explicit photo labelled with his name was not him, mirroring similar comments from senior AFL figures.

“It’s definitely not me,” he said. “Don’t believe everything you see or read.”

The footballer said he had spoken to another player on the list, who insisted the photo supposedly depicting him was also a fake.

“There’s a lot of fake stuff,” he said.

He said although the photo of him was not genuine, the ordeal had taken a toll.

“You’re on the list, your name gets dragged through the mud a bit,” he said.

The scandal, involving nude and graphic images of more than 45 AFL players, involves several prominent SA footballers.

The Advertiser has seen a leaked list of the targets contained in a Google Drive, which includes several Crows and Port Adelaide players.

Of the 45 names, a dozen either play for the AFL clubs or are originally from SA.

The Advertiser is not naming any of the players, none of whom have publicly commented.

Both clubs made no comment and neither did the other SA players.

A screenshot of the list of AFL player nude images being shared online.

In a statement on Thursday morning, SA Police said officers were aware of the incident.

“South Australia Police are aware of interstate reports of intimate images of athletes being shared online,” a spokeswoman said.

“(We) will work with the AFL Integrity Unit and investigate any matters that are reported to SA Police.”

When pressed on the issue, Crows coach Matthew Nicks said he “would rather talk about footy”.

“I understand the speculation and I understand the interest in it but I am not buying into it.”

A Crows spokesman refused to comment further. A Port spokesman also refused to comment.

The file, listed in alphabetical order by player names, shows collections of photos, screenshots and videos claiming to be of past AFL legends and present stars, including Brownlow medallists, across various social networking and dating platforms.

The photos in the drive have since been deleted.

Senior figures in the AFL have suggested a majority of the images may not be real, potentially involving artificial intelligence “deep fakes” or have been doctored.

But the AFL Players Association believe many of the images are fake.

AFL Players Association chief executive Paul Marsh also hit out at the sharing of the images as an “appalling and disgusting act”.

“The AFL Players’ Association is aware of the AFL investigating a collection of explicit images that have been distributed of past and present players without their consent,” Marsh said in a statement on Wednesday night.

“While it is important to note that some of the images may not be legitimate, this is an appalling and disgusting act and a likely unlawful breach of privacy that is unacceptable.

“We ask the public to treat this matter seriously by not seeking out or sharing any of these photos and respecting the rights and privacy of those impacted.