Collingwood put $3.2m De Goey deal over Bali incident: Reports
Jordan De Goey’s career is at a crossroads after reports the Collingwood star’s Bali video saw a multi-year contract evaporate.
AFL
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Collingwood has reportedly pulled a $3.2m contract offer to Jordan De Goey in the aftermath of his Bali nightclub incident.
The Age’s Michael Gleeson reported that the Magpies had tabled a two-year extension at $800,000, with a trigger for a further two years depending on performance and games based, but withdrew the offer over the weekend.
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While the decision doesn’t mean that De Goey will not remain with the Magpies, it indicates the club is reconsidering its stance after the Bali drama.
Video footage of the 26-year-old partying in Bali during his mid-season break spread across the internet and has put him well and truly on the hot seat with AFL legends and pundits blasting the star’s mid-season antics.
This is despite the club giving De Goey permission to holiday in Bali.
On Saturday the woman in the videos, Remy Jackson, spoke out about the backlash and threw her support behind De Goey.
On the weekend De Goey posted a statement to Instagram slamming media outlets for “the relentless pursuit and persecution of athletes”.
Collingwood are set to have high-level talks with De Goey, football boss, president and football director Paul Lucuria
De Goey was a no-show at training on Monday and is not expected back until Wednesday.
The report stated the Magpies were not willing to commit a four-year deal due to his “history of off-field controversies”.
Off-contract at the end of the season, SEN and AFL 360’s Gerard Whateley said he believed De Goey was now “unrecruitable” following the Bali incident coming just months after he was fined $10,000 by the AFL for his involvement in a late-night incident in New York late last year.
He pleaded guilty to a downgraded charge of harassment in the second degree having first pleaded not guilty to charges of assault and harassment. Charges of forcible touching were also dropped.
He has a long list of other offences as well, including road offences including speeding while driving a sports car as a P-plater, driving while suspended and using a handheld device, drink-driving on his P-plates, and lying to Collingwood after breaking his hand in a bar fight.
But it also hasn’t stopped two clubs — including St Kilda — from reportedly dipping their hat into the ring in order to acquire De Goey’s services. It is unknown if these have changed in light of De Goey’s latest incident.
However, Fox Footy’s Nick Riewoldt said on On The Couch that the Saints had not offered De Goey a contract.
Former St Kilda coach Grant Thomas told the Herald Sun the Saints would be “derelict in their duty” if they didn’t throw the chequebook at De Goey, who is “not the only naughty boy”.
“There is nothing dangerous about Jordan,” he told the Herald Sun.
“If he has the right structure around him, the right management, the right leadership, the right development, he will turn out to be the perfect human being we all wish all of our sports heroes were.
“There are so many scallywags in the AFL we don’t even hear about or know about. That is because the club covers it up. Jordan is not on his own.”
AFL commentators agreed De Goey’s trade value has plummeted after his latest off field scandal.
“It certainly puts more seeds of doubt in other clubs that were considering having a crack at him as a free agent and trying to get him to the football club,” Leigh Montagna said on Fox Footy’s First Crack.
“If there was already some concerns whether it’s at board level or club level discussing do we or don’t we, what are the risks versus rewards — this just adds another layer to it. It might put a few clubs off.
“We know he’s a matchwinner, we know he’s got high-level talent, he is a gun player in the competition, I do think that, but now maybe some clubs might think the risk is not worth the reward.”
Four-time premiership player Jordan Lewis added: “We’ve seen so many examples over the last five to 10 years when the game has become more system-based than individuals starring,” he said.
“There’s so many examples to say that one player cannot win you a premiership or change the way you go about it, but it can certainly impact the group. I think in this case the bargaining power is getting less and less.
“If I’m another club, if I’m a player at another club and involved in the leadership group and key decision makers, I don’t think I’d be looking at the Jordan De Goey situation.”
Originally published as Collingwood put $3.2m De Goey deal over Bali incident: Reports
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