Solitary Mark ‘Bomber’ Thompson turned to bitcoin

AFL legend Mark ‘Bomber’ Thompson had turned his back on football, instead living a solitary life and trading bitcoin.

Mark ‘Bomber’ Thompson at the MCG during an AFL match in 2014. Picture: Getty Images

Former AFL player and coach Mark “Bomber” Thompson had become increasingly solitary and removed from his past footballing life, dedicating large amounts of time to his new passion of bitcoin trading in the months leading up to his questioning in relation to a drug trafficking probe.

Friends were increasingly concerned about the Essendon and Geelong stalwart who, ­according to one former football colleague, had recently stacked on a substantial amount of weight, appeared “tired and distracted” and “looked awful”.

As reports emerged yesterday alleging drugs had been found inside Thompson’s Port Melbourne warehouse during a police raid on Friday, AFL figures ­expressed concerns for his health and wellbeing, as well as disappointment over the predicament the premiership player and coach had found himself in.

A police spokeswoman declined to comment on the claims that drugs had been found at his warehouse, where Tom Windsor, 28, who is facing charges relating to trafficking drugs of dependence, had allegedly been staying for some weeks.

Mr Windsor was charged alongside Karl “Bang Bang” Holt, 31, of Lara, and a 22-year-old Mill Park woman. Both men are understood to have links to bikie gangs in the Geelong region.

Detectives at Prahran and Geelong, who have been conducting the joint probe, also ­declined to comment on the “ongoing investigation”.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton yesterday confirmed that Thompson had been questioned and was released without charge, but declined to comment further.

Thompson did not return calls yesterday. His brother ­Steven ­declined to comment.

In recent days, several AFL identities are understood to have tried to contact the twice-­divorced 54-year-old, who was seen returning to his home on Tuesday evening. “I’m not sure who’s supporting him these days,” a former colleague told The Australian. “I know people have reached out, but Mark being Mark, he doesn’t reply to messages or call back.”

Essendon’s former football operations manager Danny Corcoran said he’d tried to reach out but hadn’t been able to make contact. “He should know that there are people who are concerned about him,” he said.

Former Geelong president Frank Costa, who worked with Thompson when he led the Cats to premierships in 2007 and 2009, said the police matter was a “great disappointment”.

Mr Costa said Thompson, who joined Essendon in 2010 as a senior assistant coach only to be embroiled in the supplements scandal, for which he was fined $30,000, was no longer the self-assured individual he had been while he coached Geelong.

“I don’t think he’s a happy person at the moment, which I’m very sorry to see,” Mr Costa said.

Thompson has spoken frankly about the impact of the saga on him personally, telling a Law Institute of Victoria function last year he was “bitter and twisted”.

“It just sits in my guts and churns and it still does and it’s going to probably end up killing me because I can’t let it go,” he said. “I don’t like the game anymore, I don’t want to work in the AFL system, I don’t want to ­associate with people.’’