North Melbourne investigating new allegations against Tarryn Thomas

An AFL star’s career is hanging in the balance after “fresh allegations” forced him to once again step away from his club.

Tarryn Thomas of the Kangaroos. Picture: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images

Tarryn Thomas’ AFL career is hanging in the balance after fresh allegations arose on Wednesday.

The North Melbourne player will once again take time away from the club as investigations into fresh claims regarding inappropriate behaviour towards women are undertaken.

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In a statement released on Wednesday, the club confirmed it would be gathering further information regarding reports he had allegedly sent threatening text messages to a woman.

“North Melbourne is aware of media reports regarding Tarryn Thomas,” the club statement read.

“Thomas has been participating in a respect and responsibility education program that deals with accountability, remorse and behaviour change following allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards women.

“As has been communicated previously, North Melbourne and Thomas will co-operate fully in relation to any further allegation or investigation.

“Thomas will not attend training on Thursday while the club gathers more information.”

Sam Edmund broke the news on SEN of the “fresh allegations” surrounding Thomas

“(He’s) accused of sending more threatening text messages, two months after it emerged that multiple women had detailed a confronting set of allegations to the AFL,” Edmund said.

“While Thomas is now facing fresh allegations, it is unclear whether the text messages were sent before or after Thomas stepped away from the game on February 1.”

Thomas won’t be at the club as the investigation unfolds. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Thomas returned to training at Arden Street for the first time at the end of February since he was stood down at the start of the month following allegations of threatening behaviour made by multiple women.

The 22-year-old is due to front court on a single charge of threatening to distribute an intimate image.

North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson postponed a Thursday morning press conference until Friday morning.

After Thomas returned to the training track, Todd Viney – North Melbourne’s head of football – said it had been made clear that another transgression could cost him his career.

“We hope that we are seen to be serious about what we are doing and that Tarryn understands he hasn’t acted to the level society expects,” Viney said.

“We are hoping that the people looking at this tonight see that we are putting things in place and taking it very seriously and we are trying to change behaviour more than anything,” he said.

“In this environment you behave yourself into an AFL program and behave yourself out of an AFL program … continue to display the wrong habits and you find your way out of the industry.”

This could be the end. Picture: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images

Thomas was stood down by the club on February 1st after a fresh allegation of inappropriate behaviour forced the club to act.

“Tarryn Thomas will take time away from the club after the AFL’s integrity unit informed North Melbourne of a new allegation of inappropriate behaviour on Wednesday afternoon,” the statement read.

The allegations made against Thomas include one woman’s claim the footballer sent her a text message that read: “You’re a f**king joke … keep talking sh*t … sh*t going to come around soon … your turn will come … sh*t is going to go down … I’m not a n**** to be f**ked with.”

Another woman sent a text to friends last year that read: “I’m too scared … i know he’s (Thomas) gonna kill me.”

At least one of the women, who was reportedly hospitalised as a result of an incident in 2022, had been provided with a psychologist by the league, which told the Herald Sun the behaviour alleged to it was “family violence”. The AFL, according to the report, offered to facilitate meetings with detectives from a family violence investigation unit.

One allegation included Thomas telling a woman he wanted to beat her and called her names like “a slut”.

Another allegation claimed Thomas threw a lamp at a woman in a hotel room.

At least one of the women, who was reportedly hospitalised as a result of an incident in 2022, had been provided with a psychologist by the league.