Port Adelaide star Ollie Wines reveals anti-vax attacks after health scare

Ollie Wines was bombarded with messages from thousands of anti-vaxxers claiming he had been “paid off” by pharmaceutical companies.

Port Adelaide midfielder Ollie Wines has revealed he was bombarded with messages from thousands of anti-vaxxers falsely claiming he had been “paid off” by pharmaceutical companies following a recent health scare.

The 27-year-old reigning Brownlow Medallist was subbed out of last month’s match against Melbourne after experiencing nausea and dizziness, having played just 27 minutes during the 32-point loss.

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The following day, Port Adelaide announced that he was in hospital with a “heart irregularity – the cause of which is undetermined and will be investigated over the coming days”. He subsequently missed the Power’s Round 5 match against Carlton.

Wines’ health was at the centre of a segment on Channel 9’s Sunday Footy Show where it was speculated his condition may have been linked to Covid-19 vaccination — Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd later apologised for his involvement in the trainwreck live TV segment.

However, the All-Australian said his heart issue was not related to the Covid-19 vaccination or any vaccine complications, including myocarditis.

“Nothing to that, completely unrelated,” Wines said at the time.

The midfielder has since played a key role during Port Adelaide’s recent victories over St Kilda and the West Coast Eagles.

Ollie Wines of the Power is tackled by Willie Rioli of the Eagles. Photo by Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Speaking to 3AWon Wednesday, Wines revealed that misinformed anti-vaxxers, who believed the Covid-19 booster was the root of his health issue, falsely claimed he had been “paid off” to stay quiet.

“I was uncomfortable because I’ve never had that many Instagram DMs in my life, I had 1000 anti-vaxxers coming at me, but it was something I could handle,” he said.

“I wasn’t being paid off, like everyone was saying, by the big pharmaceuticals.

“It was nothing to do with the vaccines. It was far out of my system. It was to do with a heart rhythm that can happen. It is rare, but it can happen in elite athletes.

“But once it was diagnosed from the experts who have been through years of study to work out what was going wrong, I was really assured.

“We have been able to take some steps from there.”

Wines has played 184 games for Port Adelaide since making his AFL debut in 2013, kicking 81 goals for the Power.

Port Adelaide will next face the Western Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval on Friday evening, with the first bounce scheduled for 7.30pm AEST.