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de Goey Celebrates a Goal

Collingwood forward Jordan de Goey has been stood down by the club after he and companion were arrested in late October at a New York hotel nightclub. According to police, both were intoxicated and were charged with groping a female patron on the dance floor. When her date tried to intervene, he was punched, kicked, and hit with a bottle. de Goey, 25, had traveled to the USA as part of a promotion for an energy drink. He, his companion, the woman, and her companion were all staying at the hotel where the incident occurred.

He was in court on Halloween day and pleaded not guilty, but he will again have to appear in court in early December, two days after the senior players are due back for preseason training. (Unconfirmed reports suggest that the most serious charge has or will be dropped.) de Goey’s manager, Ryan Vague, said the situation was “very unfortunate” and there was still much to work through, including whether de Goey could return to Australia before his next scheduled court appearance. Vague had been speaking with Collingwood and the AFL Players Association throughout Sunday. If he is allowed to return to Australia, he would have to check in with New York authorities once a week.

The Magpies later released a statement confirming the magnitude of the incident, “The club will continue to pay de Goey under the terms of his contract until such time as an outcome to proceedings against him in the United States is reached or a more complete account of events is established. In the interim, de Goey will not be permitted to train or play with Collingwood or make use of club resources, staff or facilities. Collingwood is deeply disappointed by reports and events of the last 48 hours involving de Goey in the US. Given the circumstances, the club believes it is appropriate to remove him from the AFL program. Collingwood has been in contact with de Goey and his management today and has explained to both its decision.”

The AFL also released a statement, supporting Collingwood's decision. Leading lawyer David Galbally, QC, told The Age that de Goey was facing jail time if found guilty of indecent assault. In Australia, indecent assault can carry a jail term of five years, while gross indecency can be more than 10 years, “If it’s any form of indecency, in terms of indecent assault, it carries a jail sentence. I would think judges have discretion, but they will want to send a message, he being a footballer, they will want to send a message, loud and clear. The police will get every detail about him, every bit of background … and they will run it in court.”

de Goey comes out of contract at the end of next season, but the Magpies could have grounds to terminate his contract according to Galbally regardless of the verdict, “They would probably need to wait to see what happens in terms of what he does, if he pleads guilty or fights it, but, yes, this would be regarded as gross misconduct ... although with his past history, they could go ahead and do it and he would risk having everything aired if he was to bring a breach-of-contract claim. It would all be aired publicly." His contract value may be significantly affected regardless of the outcome of the case.

His background includes a list of past indiscretions. Last August, an assault charge by Victorian police was withdrawn. It related to an allegation of indecent assault in 2015. Last August he was fined by a Melbourne court after pleading guilty to several road offenses, including speeding while driving a sports car when he was a P-plater (probationary license) and sending text messages when stationary at traffic lights. In 2017, he lied to the club about how he sustained a broken hand - which was caused by a bar fight. In 2018, he was arrested on a DUI, fined and suspended by Collingwood.

Sources: theage.com.au, nypost.com

 

 

Article last changed on Tuesday, November 02, 2021 - 5:47 PM EDT


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