AFL bad boy Jordan De Goey is set to sit down with fed-up Collingwood officials on Monday, with his former coach Nathan Buckley saying the 26-year-old ‘has to take responsibility’ for the scandal caused by his wild Bali partying video.
De Goey, who has made headlines for his off-field antics as much as his often eye-catching playing highlights in his career, is set to fly back from Bali on Sunday.
AFL officials are also monitoring the situation, particularly in regards to the footage in which De Goey attempted to expose the breast of his friend Remy Jackson, who was lying on a bar.
The Collingwood forward has a long list of off-field indiscretions – the most recent of which involved him spending a night in jail after a New York bar fight – and pressure continues to mount on the club to clamp down on his bad behaviour.
Jordan De Goey’s friend Remy Jackson was filmed partying with him in Bali this week
A club-imposed sanction will be discussed in the meeting, with many Magpies officials and board members reportedly sick of his bad behaviour.
It comes as Buckley raised concerns about why De Goey would put himself in this position yet again.
Jordan De Goey appeared in a number of social media videos during his booze bender
‘I don’t think it was a good decision to go to Bali,’ he said on Fox Footy.
‘I know that the club has been criticised for that but you don’t hold your players hands like they’re pre-school kids, you have got to treat them like adults when they are adults.
‘And at 26 years of age you are an adult, so Jordy has to take responsibility for the decision to go over, he has to take responsibility for the position he has put himself in and the club in.
‘There has been a whole heap that has come from it and there is a whole heap that will come from it unfortunately,’ said Buckley.
De Goey has been in solid form for Collingwood this season, kicking 12 goals
Collingwood players were given 12 days off over the bye round, and the club was aware of De Goey’s intention to go to Bali.
Three-time premiership player Cameron Mooney laid the blame squarely at the feet of the club.
‘I am staggered that the club let him go. Whatever happens from here, Collingwood, it’s on you. It’s the stupidest decision I’ve ever seen a football club make,’ he said.
De Goey had 22 disposals for the Magpies in their Queens Birthday game against Melbourne
Remy Jackson took to Instagram to defend De Goey to her 17,400 followers, a number that has increased by more than 2000 over the last couple of days.
‘Hey everyone, I can’t believe the backlash towards Jordy & Myself over here in Bali… nothing to see here,’ she wrote on her story.
Remy Jackson has been seen in the social media videos partying with De Goey
Jackson has more than 17,500 fans on Instagram
De Goey also had a response of his own on Instagram, slamming the media’s ‘relentless persecution’ of athletes like him.
‘I want to take the opportunity to thank my family, friends and supporters who have checked in or sent messages of support in the past 24 hours,’ he wrote.
‘I want to openly address the relentless pursuit and persecution of athletes by the media to create an uneducated, bias and ill-informed narrative that has gone too far.
‘I am one of the lucky ones with amazing support, however not all athletes are so lucky. This will end in tragedy if no one speaks up. It’s time for change.’
Jordan De Goey kicks the ball during the Mapgies Queens Birthday game win
It is understood Collingwood weren’t aware of his desire to make a statement beforehand.
De Goey is in the last year of a contract, and was set to command a monster, multi-year contract worth at least $800,000 on the free agency market.
Collingwood CEO Mark Anderson said as recently as two weeks ago the club was confident of retaining De Goey before the restricted free agent hits the market.
‘He’s had a great year on-field and he’s tracking really well off it as well,’ he said on AFL Nation.
De Goey celebrates a goal against Hawthorn in Round 12
The latter part of that comment is clearly up in dust now, and whether Collingwood, or another club, will take such an expensive punt on De Goey remains to be seen.
The incident certainly won’t have added any zeroes to his contract either way, and any of the goodwill he built up after his drunken antics in New York during the preseason has been erorded.
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