Bulldogs star Bailey Smith takes ‘indefinite leave’ away from AFL

Western Bulldogs cult figure Bailey Smith has been granted an indefinite leave of absence to spend time away from his football club.

Bailey Smith has taken indefinite leave away from the AFL.

The Western Bulldogs cult figure has reportedly been granted a leave of absence by his football club and has been training remotely.

The Herald Sun first reported Smith has walked away from football to deal with private family matters and personal issues.

Bulldogs head of football Chris Grant has told the newspaper the football club respects Smith’s decision and said the 21-year-old will be allowed to return to the club whenever he is ready.

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“We remain in close contact with Bailey, and we respect and understand his need to spend some time away from the club at the moment,” Grant said.

Bulldog Bailey Smith celebrates a goal against Port Adelaide. Photo by Michael Klein.

“With such a short training block before the Christmas break for the AFL squad; we are comfortable to afford Bailey the time he needs.

“We’ll support him throughout, and he’ll return when he is ready.

“Bailey has maintained an extremely high level of physical conditioning throughout his entire career, and we’re looking forward to reintegrating him into the program at the appropriate time.”

The Bulldogs also granted requests for Tim English, Aaron Naughton and Caleb Daniel to train interstate before the team’s pre-season training resumes in January after the Christmas shutdown.

Smith’s career exploded in 2021, on and off the field as he played a starring role in the Western Bulldogs’ run through to the grand final.

He has the most Instagram followers in the entire AFL with more than 355,000 fans on the social media platform.

Western Bulldogs player Bailey Smith. Picture Instagram @bazlenka or @baileysmithpics

Bailey Smith didn’t get the grand final fairytale. Photo by Gary Day/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

Smith in October opened up about his stardom and the impact it has had on his mental health in a podcast appearance.

Speaking on the Common Chaos podcast with fellow social media stars Ashton Wood and Cartia Mallan, Smith opened up all that has come with his new found fame, including a viral fake nude photo drama which circulated on social media.

He also revealed he has previously received offers of $50,000 to sleep with a person in messages sent to his private account.

Smith was in October investigated by police over an alleged incident at a popular Gold Coast night spot.

A 22-year-old man made a complaint to police about being pushed at the Burleigh Pavilion, but no further action was taken.