The highs and lows of Bailey Smith’s young AFL career

A major Aussie brand has vowed to stand by Bailey Smith in the wake of footage showing the star midfielder snorting white powder.

A major sponsor has vowed to stand by embattled Bulldog Bailey Smith in the wake of damning footage which shows the star midfielder snorting a line of white powder.

Smith was in February named as the first menswear ambassador for Australian brand Cotton On, with the iconic brand’s general manager saying he was “excited to see the partnership come to life”.

On Saturday night, a spokeswoman for Cotton On said the company would “continue to support brand ambassador Bailey Smith during this tough time”.

“Although we do not condone his recent behaviour, we will stand behind him,” she said.

Cotton On are standing behind Bailey Smith. Picture: Cotton On

Images circulating on Twitter that appear to be Smith with white powder.

Smith taps his nose in an apparent reference to cocaine use. Source: TikTok

It comes as the hard-partying Western Bulldogs player revealed just how badly his life spiralled out of control during a post-season bender on the Gold Coast after last year’s AFL grand final thrashing.

Smith, now one of the highest profile players in the country, spent Saturday in crisis talks with Bulldogs management after photos of him holding a bag of an “illicit substance” were posted anonymously online.

Within hours, the Sunday Herald Sun obtained a video of Smith snorting a line of white powder in a rowdy nightclub.

A third video shows him partying in a nightclub and tapping his nose with his index finger, in an apparent reference to cocaine use.

Smith’s struggles with his mental health late last year are well documented, but the photos and video were a graphic and embarrassing display of how hard he fell after the grand final loss.

Sources close to Smith said he spent the first few days after the Grand Final with teammates in Perth, but his partying escalated when he flew to the Gold Coast.

The only previous hint at his troubles was a short-lived Queensland Police investigation into a scuffle outside that lefta man hospitalised in early October.

Smith was not charged, and the Bulldogs took no action at the time, but he later took two weeks off at the start of pre-season training, citing mental health issues.

The revelations of Smith’s apparent drug use came just a week after he was suspended for two rounds for headbutting Geelong’s Zach Tuohy, in what he described as an “out of character” on-field brain snap last week. The Western Bulldogs had a bye this weekend.

Bailey Smith and Zach Tuohy of the Cats tussle after the siren. Picture: Michael Klein

Both the Bulldogs and the AFL have launched urgent disciplinary investigations into Smith’s post-season behaviour.

Smith said he was “determined to learn the lessons of my past and be a better person in the future”.

“I am now in a position to confess to indulging in behaviours in late 2021 of which I am deeply ashamed,” he said.

“I spiralled out of control leading to poor decision making and actions at the time.”

Smith offered an unreserved apology to his family, his teammates, the Bulldogs and his sponsors.

Bulldogs chief executive Ameet Bains said he was “extremely disappointed” in the club’s star player.

“We absolutely do not condone our players being involved with illicit substances,” Mr Bains said.

Mr Bains’ carefully worded statement did not say whether he was aware of Smith’s conduct before Saturday, only that he was “disappointed to have observed social media content showing Bailey Smith with an illicit substance”.

Smith’s conduct is likely to cost him dearly, as he looks to negotiate a new contract with the Bulldogs.

He earns a huge chunk of his income from lucrative endorsement deals with Cotton On, McDonalds and Monster Energy.

All three companies have pinned their reputations to Smith’s squeaky-clean image, beachy good looks, signature mullet and the chiselled abs he flaunts constantly.

McDonalds and Monster Energy had not decided on Saturday whether they would dump him.

Bailey Smith in an ad campaign for Cotton On. Picture: Cotton On

An AFL spokesman said league investigators would interview Smith “in relation to the emergence of the content on social media and the context surrounding it” in the next few days.

“An outcome of that investigation will be communicated in due course.

Smith is far from the first player to be linked to drugs, and won’t be the last, but his young age, his openness about his mental health struggles and his high profile are likely to put yet more scrutiny on the AFL’s “three strikes” illicit drugs policy, which has been criticised for offering too much “wriggle room” for players’ off season antics.

Under the policy, which is currently under review, players and their club doctors can keep one positive, out-of-competition drug test secret from the league.

When a player’s drug use becomes public, they are liable to immediate sanctions for bringing the league into disrepute.

A third strike would result in a 12-month suspension.

It is unclear how harsh the AFL’s sanction against Smith might be, but Geelong’s Tyson Stengle and St Kilda’s Brad Crouch were suspended for four and two weeks, respectively, after being caught with cocaine in the 2020 off-season when they were playing for Adelaide.

Legal sources familiar with AFL disciplinary cases said the now-public nature of Smith’s conduct would almost certainly breach the AFL’s rules, as “conduct which is unbecoming or likely to prejudice the interests or reputation of the AFL or to bring the game of football into disrepute”.

The legal sources said the most likely outcome for Smith was a sanction along the lines of Stengle’s two week ban.

Originally published as The highs and lows of Bailey Smith’s young AFL career