Grant Hackett apologises for his behaviour on flight to Melbourne

A DAY after Grant Hackett issued an apology for his behaviour on board a flight from Adelaide to Melbourne, Swimming Australia boss John Bertrand has spoken of his shock and sadness at the news.

SWIMMING Australia boss John Bertrand has spoken of his shock following Grant Hackett’s behaviour on a flight from Adelaide to Melbourne on Sunday.

The three-time Olympic gold medallist was involved an altercation with a fellow passenger while returning from Australian trials in South Australia.

The plane incident led to him being questioned and spending a number of hours with the Australian Federal Police.

After being detained, pictures emerged of Hackett in a wheelchair surrounded by police officers.

“It’s a shock to everyone, including myself, obviously what happened,” he told the Seven Network. “It was a bummer, terrible.”

Hackett’s attempted return to the Australian Olympic team came to an abrupt end when he was knocked out in the semi-finals of the 200-metre freestyle.

A man who is claimed to be Grant Hackett slumped in a wheelchair following his flight to Melbourne.

His influence around the team led to head coach Jacco Verhaeren declaring he would be a mentor for the squad in Rio, and Bertrand said the former star’s behaviour in Adelaide justified the original selection.

“What we saw and what I saw his involvement with the team was just fantastic,” Bertrand said.

“His influence, he could walk on the pool deck, not only in Australia, but anywhere around the world and he has been there and done it.”

The Swimming Australia president also knocked back suggestions Hackett’s return was a PR stunt aimed at satisfying sponsors, and that he had been missing training sessions and partying in the lead-up to the trials.

“He gave it a shot to be part of the swim team,” Bertrand said. “That was it. For the pure reasons.

John Bertrand pictured with Gina Rinehart at the swimming trials

Hackett’s chance to be part of the Channel 7 commentary team for the upcoming Olympics in Rio is now seriously in doubt.

Bertrand’s comments came a day after Hackett issued a public apology for tweaking a passenger’s nipple on board a flight.

In the statement released on Monday, Hackett said he has a number of issues that he is currently dealing with.

“I seriously and genuinely regret my poor behaviour. I have stuffed up more than once and am working on these issues,” Hackett said.

“It is embarrassing to hear & read the consequences of my actions. I apologise unreservedly to the gentleman on the flight.”

“I am trying to make direct contact with him personally.”

“ I know I have to front the media and discuss my actions in a more appropriate and accountable way.”

“I just have to sort a few things first so I can be as frank and open as I need to be. I apologise for the inconvenience.”

Grant Hackett being interviewed by Troy Gray at Adelaide Oval for a function during the Adelaide Crows V Sydney Swans.

Hackett’s apology comes after a Virgin Australia business-class passenger ­accused the swimmer of groping his chest.

“There was no altercation — I was sexually assaulted by that man,” said the man, who did not want to be named, on Sunday night.

The passenger said he and his partner had been sitting in the first two seats in business class when Hackett boarded and sat immediately behind them, in the second row.

“As I reclined my chair, he grabbed it and yanked it back,’’ the distressed passenger said.

“Then he put his hand through and groped my chest and tweaked my nipple quite forcefully.

“I was shocked, and my partner turned round and he asked him what the hell he thought he was doing.

“Mr Hackett then stroked my arm and said; ‘It’s OK, it’s all right.”

But it wasn’t.

“I felt unsafe and violated,” said the young executive, who had been to Adelaide for a reunion with his partner’s family.

“Then when we began the descent he tried to do it again, but I would not release the buttons, so he could not yank the chair back.”

Grant Hackett missed a place on the Australian team for Rio at last week’s selection trials. Picture Dean Martin

SWIMMING AUSTRALIA STATEMENT

“Swimming Australia was extremely disappointed to hear the disturbing reports that Grant Hackett was involved in a reported incident on a flight from Adelaide to Melbourne on Sunday April 17.

“Given the reported incident involved a member of the general public on a domestic flight, we acknowledge and fully support the role of the police. It is very appropriate that they were immediately involved and continue to investigate this matter. We welcome their involvement and will fully support any findings that they reach as independent and external investigators of the incident.

“The positive week that we witnessed in Adelaide from our team both in and out of the pool is a sign of emerging strong culture. We believe that we have made great progress. With this backdrop we are clearly disappointed that this reported incident has occurred.

“The reported incident was particularly surprising, given the manner in which Grant conducted himself over the duration of the event. This included his interaction with the general public, in and around other swimmers over the competition and his transition into a television commentary role following his last race.

“Swimming President John Bertrand, Chief Executive Officer Mark Anderson, National Head Coach Jacco Verhaeren and General Manager, High Performance, Wayne Lomas have been focused over the past 24 hours to ensure we found out exactly what occurred and to provide the necessary support before making any statements.

“We have been in touch with Grant through his management team and with his family directly.

“Given Grant’s recent experiences, we are concerned for Grant’s welfare and believe that it is very important that we provide Grant with all the support we can provide to ensure his progress as a person remains on track.

“Our main concern at this stage is his welfare. Any other issue or decision remains secondary to his well-being at this point in time. We will address other matters at the appropriate time.

“We have endeavored throughout our cultural development to be very open in our communication and we will continue to do so in relation to this issue and any future decisions that we reach in relation to Grant and his involvement across our sport.

Originally published as Grant Hackett apologises for his behaviour on flight to Melbourne