Jaidyn Stephenson banned: Collingwood ace details why he bet on matches

The banned Pies star opens up, saying the guilt of his bets became too much to handle.

Collingwood’s Jaidyn Stephenson faces the media after being suspended for betting on AFL matches. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Banned Magpie Jaidyn Stephenson said the guilt of betting on matches involving Collingwood eventually became too much to handle.

The talented forward will miss the remainder of the home-and-away season and was fined $20,000 in the toughest suspension ever for an AFL footballer in breach of the league’s gambling code.

Jaidyn Stephenson was among the best on ground against Melbourne. Picture: Getty Images

Stephenson expressed his embarrassment and remorse over laying three wagers totalling $36 on three different games.

He said he was sitting on the couch with a mate when initially deciding to bet on a game against the Western Bulldogs in Rd 4 and subsequently placed multi-bets with a variety of different legs on matches against Essendon on Anzac Day and the Saints in Rd 9.

Stephenson said that it was after the third wager against St Kilda that he realised the enormity of his mistake and approached club football manager Geoff Walsh, who then notified the AFL.

“I justified my behaviour (but) it was an incredibly stupid thing to do and I now the recognise the seriousness of what I have done,” he said.

“I am very embarrassed that I have let myself and my family and my teammates down and I am disappointed that I will not be able to pull on a Collingwood jumper for the next 10 weeks.

“I want to issue an unreserved apology to those I have let down and I hope I can learn from this.”

Stephenson said his conscience eventually got the better of him.

“(I was) just sitting on the couch with my mate and he was doing the same thing,” he said.

“At the same time, I obviously didn’t think about the bigger picture and long-term consequences.

“Mum and dad have always been big on making sure you tell the truth and anything you are hiding will only hurt you in the end. I just got a really guilty conscience.

“I think the first two times I was a little bit oblivious. (But) once I got it off my chest, I looked at myself in the mirror better than (I would have) if I was holding it in.”

Stephenson’s decision to self-report a month ago led the AFL to suspending 12 weeks of his ban. He played during the period of the investigation.

The active 10-match ban suspension means he will miss the remainder of this year’s home-and-away season, but he will be eligible to return for finals.

Stephenson cleared of influencing matches

The AFL’s legal counsel Andrew Dillon said Stephenson’s wagers involved a variety of bets, ranging from Collingwood to win, the Magpies to win by a certain margin, who the first goalkicker in the game would be and the number of possessions a teammate might gather.

None of the bets, which were either placed by a mate or himself one occasion through the friend’s online wagering account, were successful.

Dillon said a thorough investigation, which included reviewing the games in question and interviewing Stephenson and his Collingwood teammates, cleared him of actually trying to influence the matches he had wagered.

Jaidyn Stephenson has been suspended for 10 matches for betting on AFL games. Picture: AAP

“We have reviewed the games in question and there is no evidence to suggest that,” he said.

The AFL’s general counsel said Stephenson knew he was breaching the AFL’s code of conduct which precludes gambling on football matches by players and officials.

“He cannot explain it but he knew he was doing the wrong thing and he is incredibly remorseful,” he said.

“I am disappointed. I think the club is disappointed. And I am sure Jaidyn is disappointed.

“It is the toughest penalty we have had for a player under the wagering rules and we make no apologies for that.”

The number six draft pick in the 2017 draft trained with teammates this morning and will be able to continue doing so through to the expiry of his ban.

‘I want to make sure he’s OK’

Stephenson’s teammate Taylor Adams said the Magpies would support the 20-year-old. He is hopeful is absence will not cause too many problems on the field.

“First and foremost, I just want to give the kid a big hug, make sure he’s OK,” he told RSN 927.

Jaidyn Stephenson fronts the press after his ban. Picture: Getty Images

“I don’t know to what extent, the impact this is going to have on him or us.

“So I’m sort of hopeful it’s minimal. I think as a player and as a teammate and a friend of Jaidyn all I really care about at the moment is him and making sure that he’s OK.

“He’ll get a lot of support at the footy club and he’ll get a lot of support for as long as he needs it, depending on what happens with this situation.”

The Magpies sit equal second with the Giants with a game in hand and face the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.

Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield, who is the AFL Players Association President, said players received education regarding gambling every pre-season during a weekly radio appearance.

“The players association comes out to every club every pre-season every year and the same thing when there’s an induction with new draftees every year, they’re educated around respect, responsibility and then all the other things that encompass being an AFL player, of which gambling is certainly a part of that,” Dangerfield he told SEN.

“The education is there. Young people are naturally risk takers at heart. There’s going to be the odd occurrence. All we can do is educate our players as best we can.

“I’d find it very difficult that you could miss the message, but that being said, there continues to be different incidents that happen so we’ve got to look at different ways to do a better job than we currently are because it’s clearly not getting through to everyone.”

But he also said that Stephenson needed support through the suspension.

Stephenson starred in his most recent clash against Melbourne on the Queen’s Birthday, kicking three goals. He was adjudged third best afield in a medal awarded that day.