De Goey escapes ban but no guarantee to play this week

Collingwood star Jordan De Goey is in extreme doubt to play this week, following his suspended $25,000 fine and apology to the club for his behaviour while partying in Bali.

It came as youngsters Jack Ginnivan and Isaac Quaynor also apologised after posting a video on social media platform TikTok where they appeared to rate girls.

Sources close to the Magpies indicate De Goey is not due back at the club until Friday, making it highly unlikely he will be ready to line up in the crucial game against Greater Wester Sydney just two days later.

The Magpies expect De Goey to speak publicly later this week about his actions, which have resulted in a lucrative contract being pulled off the table and again heightened public scrutiny over the club’s culture after the fallout from last year’s Do Better report into historic racism. De Goey’s future in the black and white is in doubt beyond this year.

De Goey on Tuesday accepted responsibility for his actions and apologised for his “disrespectful” conduct, just days after slamming the media for their “persecution” of athletes. He revealed he was diagnosed with ADHD last year.

The backflip came after several days of discussions involving De Goey, his agent and senior club officials over what Magpies chief Mark Anderson said was the player’s disrespect to women in attempting to expose a woman’s breast. Anderson said it did not matter that the behaviour was consensual.

“I want to be clear, our very strong position is that disrespect to women is never to be tolerated,” Anderson said.

Anderson could not guarantee De Goey, who has not been suspended, would take his place in the Magpies team for a game they must win to break back into the eight.

“The important thing of today is that we’re addressing the behaviours today. And I can’t answer that question today,” Magpies chief Mark Anderson said.

“I think what’s most important for us as a football club and for Jordan is that we’re fronting into this being open about it and need to be and be very transparent.

“What comes after this – the priority of Sunday is not the priority as we stand in here on Tuesday afternoon. Today is about addressing the values and behaviours of what we expect from our players. The rest will come later, [I] can’t answer that question as to whether he’ll play on Sunday or not. The course of the week will tell.”

De Goey does not have to pay the fine unless he transgresses between now and the end of the Pies’ season, which could come as soon as two months if they do not play finals. Already undergoing a counselling program to improve his off-field conduct arrested in New York last year, the 26-year-old must now undertake further behavioural education.

Anderson said De Goey had made progress in the past six months before the incident in Bali. The player was found guilty of conduct unbecoming by the AFL in March over an incident at a New York nightclub in October last year. The Magpies stood him down for three months.

“This is a really disappointing moment for him to be in,” Anderson said. “But it’s not a linear journey. He’s clearly made a mistake. We hope he doesn’t make another mistake.”

Anderson said the main aspect of the social media footage that concerned his club was footage of De Goey “basically disrespecting women and tugging at the clothing” of a woman.

The video taken in Bali last week showed a hand, purported to be De Goey’s, attempting to pull aside a female friend’s bikini top to expose her breast.

De Goey said he accepted his actions were “disrespectful” and that he had broken the club’s trust in allowing him to travel overseas for his mid-season break.

“My actions have fallen short of the standards expected of me as a person, as an AFL footballer and as a representative of the Collingwood Football Club,” De Goey said.

“I had worked hard this year to establish trust and confidence in me to make better decisions and through no one’s fault but my own, I have undone that trust.

“Late last year, I was diagnosed with ADHD and I am trying to become more aware of why I make mistakes that I do. I have again made a mistake – this is an ongoing journey for me – and I remain absolutely committed to changing.”

The AFL said it supported Collingwood’s sanction and will take no further action.

“Jordan’s conduct in those social media posts did not meet the standards we want our game to stand for and his behaviour sets a bad example that has the potential to be interpreted by others as something that is OK, when it is absolutely not,” the league said in a statement.

A commercial partner of the Magpies, Access Covers Australia, slammed De Goey’s conduct as “immature, inconsiderate and offensive”.

Quaynor and Ginnivan took to Instragram to apologise for taking part in a TikTok craze where both hypothetical men and women can be rated out of 10 based on a series of stereotypes.

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.