The lingering question from Tim Paine’s sexting scandal

After Tim Paine stepped down as Australian Test captain, one lingering question remains unanswered following the cricketer’s sexting scandal.

Tim Paine has been the poster boy of Australian cricket for three years, but the 36-year-old’s reputation lies in tatters following a historic sexting saga – and once again, Cricket Australia is in the spotlight.

Paine’s decision to step down as Australia Test captain seemed an inevitability after the Herald Sun revealed he sent a former Cricket Tasmania employee a “d*** pic” and a series of lewd messages on the eve of the Gabba Test in November 2017.

According to the News Corp report, the woman claimed in a correspondence with cricket authorities in June 2018 that she was offended by “Mr Paine’s sexually explicit, unwelcome and unsolicited photograph of his genitals, in addition to the graphic sexual comments”.

Cricket Australia reportedly became aware of the incident after Paine was handed the Test captaincy following the infamous Cape Town ball-tampering scandal in March 2018.

CA’s internal investigation into the allegations found no breach of the CA code of conduct, but on Friday, the Board said it did not condone his language or behaviour.

Meanwhile, Cricket Tasmania and the Australian Cricketers’ Association both described the interaction between Paine and the woman as “consensual”.

Tim Paine

CA was desperately working to repair its damaged image when Paine’s sexting interaction came to light in mid-2018 – three of the nation’s most talented cricketers had just been banned following a cheating scandal, while the sport’s administrators were in the midst of wider cultural review.

Paine and coach Justin Langer were framed as the figures who would lead the Australian men’s cricket team into a new era.

CA has therefore been accused of turning a blind eye and prioritising brand management over justly reprimanding Paine – his actions would have raised concerns about his leadership if the incident came to light in 2018, yet he was not sanctioned and kept the captaincy.

The question remains – was Paine’s sexting scandal swept under the rug?

ABC reporter Samantha Lewis tweeted: “Cricket Australia really telling on themselves by letting Paine stick around for four years despite knowing all this, huh. Gotta wonder how deeply embedded these cultural problems really are.”

The Australian’s Jessica Halloran posted: “The Cricket Australia handling of the Tim Paine scandal is quite something. Why does Tim Paine get to play? Cricket Australia severely penalised two players for their involvement in #sandpapergate? Stood down. Financially punished. And now. A woman alleging she was sexually harassed by an Australian captain? Meh.”

Wait, so Tim Paine is only resigning because its been made public? Character. Elite leadership.

— Sean Hogan (@SeanHoganNZ) November 19, 2021

So to be clear Cricket Australia stuck with Tim Paine despite a pretty mediocre record as player and captain because he gave off “wholesome family man” vibes when in fact they knew about this the whole time

— Kishor (@kishor_nr) November 19, 2021

In Paine's words today "These actions do not meet the standards of an Australian cricket captain or a member of society more generally."
Cricket Australia knew in 2018. So do they not subscribe to the same standards or do those standards change when these things become public?

— Caty Price (@caty_price) November 19, 2021

So from what I can gather, CA knew about this four years ago - still made Paine captain, and promoted him as the squeaky clean saviour of Australian cricket? #TimPaine#Ashes

— Akash Fotedar (@akashfotedar5) November 19, 2021

Cricket Australia only knew about this for four years so they should be applauded for acting so quickly.

— Titus O'Reily (@TitusOReily) November 19, 2021

After taking over the captaincy from Steve Smith in 2018, Paine vowed: “We want to build a culture that makes people want to be better and produce not only better cricketers but better people.

“We know what’s right and we know what’s wrong. We know what Australian cricket expects of us.

“And we’ll be holding each other accountable.”

Langer introduced the phrase “elite honesty”, which was plastered on the walls of the Australian changerooms.

Yet despite these promises, Paine only decided it was the right time to step aside from the Test captaincy when his sexting scandal entered the public eye.

Speaking to reporters in Hobart on Friday, Paine said he did not want this off-field controversy to become an “unwelcome disruption” ahead of the highly-anticipated Ashes.

But less than three weeks out from the sport’s marquee event, that’s wishful thinking to say the least.

Tim Paine’s full statement

“Today I am announcing my decision to stand down as the captain of the Australian men’s Test team.

“It’s an incredibly difficult decision, but the right one for me, my family, and cricket.

“Nearly four years ago, I was involved in a text exchange with a then-colleague. At the time, the exchange was the subject of a thorough CA Integrity Unit investigation, throughout which I fully participated in and openly participated in. That investigation and a Cricket Tasmania HR investigation at the same time found that there had been no breach of the Cricket Australia Code of Conduct.

“Although exonerated, I deeply regretted this incident at the time, and still do today. I spoke to my wife and family at the time and am enormously grateful for their forgiveness and support.

“We thought this incident was behind us and that I could focus entirely on the team, as I have done for the last three or four years. However, I recently became aware that this private text exchange was going to become public.

Tim Paine of Australia. Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images

“On reflection, my actions in 2017 do not meet the standard of an Australian cricket captain, or the wider community. I’m deeply sorry for the hurt and pain that I have caused to my wife, my family, and to the other party.

“I’m sorry for any damage that this does to the reputation of our sport. And I believe that it is the right decision for me to stand down as captain, effective immediately. I do not want this to become an unwelcome disruption to the team ahead of what is a huge Ashes series.

“I have loved my role as captain of the Australian cricket team. It’s been the greatest privilege of my sporting life to lead the Australian men’s Test team. I’m grateful for the support of my teammates and proud of what we’ve been able to achieve together. To them, I ask for their understanding and forgiveness.

“To Australian cricket fans — I’m deeply sorry that my past behaviour has impacted our game on the eve of the Ashes. For the disappointment I have caused to fans and the entire cricket community, I apologise.

“I’ve been blessed with a wonderful, loving and supportive family, and it breaks my heart to know how much I’ve let them down. They have always stood by me, been my most loyal fans, and I’m indebted to them for their support.

“I will remain a committed member of the Australian cricket team, and look forward with anticipation to what is a huge Ashes tour.”

Cricket Australia Chair Richard Freudenstein’s statement

“Tim felt it was in the best interests of his family and Australian cricket to take this decision to step down as captain.

“The Board has accepted Tim’s resignation and will now work through a process with the National Selection Panel of identifying and appointing a new captain.

“While the Board acknowledges an investigation cleared Tim of any breach of the code of conduct regarding this matter some years ago, we respect his decision.

“CA does not condone this type of language or behaviour.

“Despite the mistake he made, Tim has been an exceptional leader since his appointment and the Board thanks him for his distinguished service.

“Tim will continue to be available for selection in the Test team through the Ashes summer.”