NewsBite

Instagram post sparks Richmond Tigers investigation into Dion Prestia

The Richmond Tigers are reportedly investigating an image of a star midfielder which was uploaded to Instagram over the weekend.

The image of Dion Prestia circulating around social media.
The image of Dion Prestia circulating around social media.

The Richmond Tigers are reportedly investigating an image of midfielder Dion Prestia circulating around social media this week.

A screenshot of an Instagram story captioned “crawling from pub to pub” shows Prestia on the streets of Melbourne with a group of friends holding small bottles of alcohol.

The three-time premiership player had his mask pulled down for the photo.

Watch The 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership Season Live & On-Demand on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >

The image quickly raised eyebrows on social media platforms, and according to foxsports.com.au also caught the attention of Richmond Football Club, who have commenced an investigation into whether Prestia broke any Covid-19 regulations.

However, Prestia’s manager told 7News no Covid-19 protocols were breached, claiming the 28-year-old was within 5km of his home and posed for the picture with his housemates.

The AFL’s strict biosecurity protocols prohibit players from attending venues where they cannot socially distance.

The image of Dion Prestia circulating around social media. Pictures: Instagram and Getty.
The image of Dion Prestia circulating around social media. Pictures: Instagram and Getty.

READ MORE: Banned AFL star set for return

On Monday, the Victorian government announced a 9pm to 5am curfew and banned the removal of masks to drink alcohol in public.

Victoria Police chief commissioner Shane Patton criticised a group of people involved in a Richmond “pub crawl” over the weekend. However, there is no evidence Prestia took part in this specific incident.

“We’ve seen some really disappointing behaviour, we’ve seen some selfish behaviour, and some absolutely outrageous behaviour,” Patton said on Monday.

“Every one of these things is just totally unacceptable and everybody knows they’re doing the wrong thing.

“We’ve seen so many different breaches, it’s just ridiculous and it has to stop.”

Prestia featured in Richmond’s 16.10 (106) to 10.7 (67) loss to the GWS Giants on Friday evening at Marvel Stadium, where he contributed 22 disposals, three marks and four tackles.

Last month, St Kilda ruckman Rowan Marshall was forced into isolation after discovering he had visited a tier 1 Covid-19 exposure site in Melbourne following a rugby match between Australia and France.

Originally published as Instagram post sparks Richmond Tigers investigation into Dion Prestia

Original URL: https://www.themercury.com.au/sport/afl/instagram-post-sparks-richmond-tigers-investigation-into-dion-prestia/news-story/ae6bca5d7fd8e177bf8294faa188d8f7