AFL won’t punish Dustin Martin over Mad Monday video
The AFL has completed its investigation into a leaked Mad Monday video showing Dustin Martin with a topless woman. Here are the results.
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Triple Norm Smith Medallist Dustin Martin has officially dodged sanction from the AFL two months after footage leaked of him touching a topless women’s breast in Mad Monday celebrations.
The AFL’s integrity department had launched a probe to assess whether Martin was guilty of any breaches of its respect and responsibility code when the 2015 incident came to light.
The video from that Mad Monday celebration had been deliberately leaked in the hours before Richmond’s finals appearance against Brisbane, with Martin reaching around the woman to touch her breast as she sat on another player’s lap.
The gathering at a Richmond hotel was not club-sanctioned and the woman did not complain about Martin’s conduct immediately or subsequently.
In the absence of a complaint, the AFL spoke to Martin post-season to fully understand the context of the video.
An AFL spokesperson confirmed to the Herald Sun on Monday night no further action would be taken.
Richmond followed up with Martin and will continue to work with their star directly to ensure such an incident does not occur again.
The AFL’s respect and responsibility policy is a victim-led policy, which means the absence of a complaint makes it more challenging – but not impossible – to leverage penalties.
Collingwood’s Jordan De Goey was handed a suspended $25,000 fine for “disrespectful” behaviour in a Bali nightclub this year but was not handed a suspension.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan had made clear immediately after the Martin incident emerged it was a “a poor look” from the Richmond superstar.
“What I’d say at the outset is that respect for women is paramount generally. As a statement it’s clear across the AFL and unambiguous,” McLachlan said.
Martin will return to Richmond in early December to kickstart his pre-season after a tough year full of injury concerns as he grieved the loss of his father and recovered from a serious internal injury.
The Herald Sun understands that he met with Gold Coast officials on at least one occasion as he worked through his future in the game and pondered a potential move.
But in the end he was happy to remain at Richmond to honour the remaining two seasons of his contract, which expires at the end of 2024.
He is buoyed by the way he was able to get back to full fitness for that final, even if he was unable to have a major influence in the contest.
The 31-year-old is hopeful he might be able to play on past the end of that seven-season contract.
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Originally published as AFL won’t punish Dustin Martin over Mad Monday video
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