The AFL will remind Dustin Martin and Lance Franklin of their responsibilities after the pair were seen in the company of gambling identity Eddie Hayson at a Sydney cafe.
Richmond’s three-time premiership winner Martin reportedly travelled to Sydney earlier this month and met Hayson, a major gambler and former brothel owner. The pair joined Sydney Swans star Franklin and former footballer Tom Derickx at Cafe Giorgio in Kings Cross.
According to the report, Franklin had no knowledge that Hayson would turn up with Martin at the restaurant on 4 December, nor has the Swans player had any previous contact with him. Martin and Hayson reportedly left the venue at least half an hour after arriving.
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by any of those who attended the meeting, but the optics of two the AFL’s most prominent players in Hayson’s company set alarm bells ringing, given the league’s attempts to avoid any risk of bringing the integrity of the game into question.
“The AFL, through ongoing education and briefings constantly reminds players and clubs about the need to take care and be mindful of who they associate with,” an AFL spokesperson told Guardian Australia.
“The AFL will reach out to both clubs and the players to reinforce this message.”
Guardian Australia attempted to contact Martin through his agent, Ralph Carr.
Sport Integrity Australia (SIA), a new body created in June to foster better collaboration between police, regulators and sports leagues, reportedly alerted NSW Police to the meeting.
SIA, headed by the former Australian Sports Anti-doping Authority chief executive David Sharpe, declined to comment when contacted by Guardian Australia. NSW police have also been contacted.
Hayson has been linked to – and subsequently cleared of – several allegations of gambling and match-fixing incidents in the NRL.
In 2006 he was accused of allegedly receiving inside information for a bet that won him and a fellow gambler an estimated $2m. An NRL investigation cleared him and he did not face any criminal charges.
He was also linked to match-fixing in two games involving the Manly Sea Eagles in 2015. Again, he denied involvement in any wrongdoing and in 2017 the NSW police strike force set up to investigate the claims was closed without any charges being laid.
Richmond and Sydney Swans have also been contacted for comment.
