‘Left a broken man’: Fan comes clean on viral AFL player hug
The Collingwood fan who went viral after hugging Eagles player Harvey Johnston has spoken out after being banned for the rest of the season.
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The Collingwood fan who grabbed West Coast youngster Harvey Johnston during Sunday’s match at Marvel Stadium has apologised for the incident and promised to “learn from this and be better for it”.
Collingwood fan Justin Witcombe has been banned for the remainder of the season, with a further six months suspended, meaning he’ll be unable to attend an AFL or AFLW game for the remainder of 2024.
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Early in the fourth quarter of the match the Pies won by 66-points, a ball went to the boundary with Johnston and Collingwood’s Josh Daicos in chase.
As it went over the line, Johnston picked up the ball and ran to the advertising boards, where Witcombe was standing.
After giving Johnston a little hug, Witcombe grabbed the ball and handballed it to the umpire.
Johnston, who was playing in just his second game, offered a small smile for the innocuous and bizarrely tender moment.
But touching a player is a huge no-no and Witcombe will have to watch the remainder of the season on TV.
There is recent precedent, with a fan making contact with Richmond’s Marlion Pickett in a round 21 clash against the Bulldogs last season.
That man was banned until the end of the 2024 season.
Speaking to Channel 9, Witcombe, who has 150 tattoos, said he’d cop his punishment on the chin.
“It’s going to kill me not going to a Collingwood game because I’ve been going since the 80s with mum and dad,” he said.
“I just saw the ball come to the fence and I stood up and it just happened. It was just a reflex action and it was just a pat on the head and a hug. And the ball came loose and I handballed it to the umpire.”
While the AFL accepted it was an innocuous situation, AFL legal counsel Stephen Meade added the interaction “should not happen”.
It’s something Witcombe also recognised.
“I’ll look in the camera and say I’m very sorry for this, it won’t happen again. I’ll learn from this and I’ll be a better person for it,” he said.
“At no stage did he ever give me permission to put my hands on him and it’s uncalled for and unacceptable in today’s world.
“I’m really sorry for my family, I’ve embarrassed myself and them. But I know I’ll learn from this and be back.
“I was there as a family man and I left a broken man because of what had happened. (It was) a spur-of-the-moment choice I wish I could take back but I can’t.”
Nine’s Tom Morris reported Witcombe had lost his brother to liver cancer two and a half weeks ago.
Speaking to News Corp, Meade said the fan apologised to both teams and the AFL as well as “proactively made himself known to security and Police”.
“Reinforcing what we communicated last year – we love the interactions between players and fans especially in the moments pre and post-game, and the occasion in-game when a player celebrates with his club’s fans – however what we saw on Sunday during the match is not acceptable,” Meade said.
Originally published as ‘Left a broken man’: Fan comes clean on viral AFL player hug
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