Jack Steven discharged as he continues to recover from stab wound

Jack Steven’s last AFL coach Brett Ratten revealed today he had reached out to the former Saint after he was admitted to hospital with a mysterious stab wound.

St Kilda coach Brett Ratten has revealed he has reached out to former Saint Jack Steven after the Geelong player’s hospital admission with a stab wound last weekend.

Ratten said he had received a simple “thumbs up” from Steven after he sent the midfielder his best wishes in a text message.

“I sent Jack a text the other day when I heard and he just gave me the thumbs up,” Ratten said at Moorabbin on Wednesday.

“I just wished him well and hope that he’s OK. He’s been a great player at our football club and we just wish him a speedy recovery and wish him well.”

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Jack Steven playing for Geelong in the pre-season. Picture: Michael Dodge, AAP

Steven, who played 183 games for the Saints before he was traded to the Cats at the end of last year, has left hospital less than three days after suffering a stab wound to the chest.

The former St Kilda star was discharged from The Alfred Hospital on Tuesday afternoon and has returned to Geelong.

He first arrived at the Cabrini Hospital about 1am on Sunday morning before he was transferred to The Alfred.

Steven has a wound on the left side of his chest and police investigating the incident believe it was inflicted by somebody who knows him.

He did not require surgery and was recovering well as early as Sunday morning.

But Steven was unable to shed light on how it occurred when speaking to detectives.

It is unclear whether he spoke to police again today.

He will return home and the club has no plans yet to integrate him back into training at GMHBA Stadium but expects the support within the club to be an important part of his recovery.

Steven, 30, played 183 games with the Saints over 11 seasons from 2009 and won four best and fairest awards before joining the Cats in the off season.

He impressed on the track over pre-season but missed Geelong’s Round 1 clash with Greater Western Sydney after suffering a calf setback.

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Jack Steven had looked at home at training in the pre-season. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Former St Kilda teammate Jack Billings said he had spoken with Steven since the incident.

“As friend and a former teammate you just think of his health and safety first and foremost and hope he is doing OK,” Billings told SEN.

“He’s great support around him, he’s got an amazing family and a great group of mates. Many guys that we both played with at the club and obviously the support down at the Cats.

“He’s got great some support and I just hope he can get better and recover fully and play some footy this year.”

Steven had been open about his mental health struggles in recent years, which saw him step away from football twice in 2019 and played a part in his request to be traded to Geelong to be closer to family.

He lives in Geelong and his parents live in Lorne, where he was raised.

Geelong general manager of football Simon Lloyd said the recruit had already become a popular member of the playing group over the summer months.

Originally published as Jack Steven discharged as he continues to recover from stab wound