Code continues to give itself black eyes off the field.
An AFL club was investigating claims a player assaulted a wheelchair-bound man, the second embarrassing incident for the sport this week after a dwarf was set alight.
The Brisbane Lions said they were aware of the “serious allegations” made against one of its players, reportedly that he tipped a man out of his wheelchair while waiting for a taxi in Brisbane on Sunday night.
“The club has launched an immediate investigation into the matter as it had not previously been made aware of the allegations,” it said in a statement.
Reports said a 40-year-old man had complained to police on Thursday about the incident in which he was allegedly tossed out of his wheelchair after being a approached by a group of players.
They then allegedly threw food at him as he lay on the ground and took the taxi he was waiting for, reports said.
On Tuesday, another AFL player was fined and forced to apologise to a dwarf entertainer who was set on fire during a prank at an end-of-season celebration.
The dwarf, Blake Johnston, and his colleague Arthur Serevetas were reportedly booked by the St Kilda club to entertain players at their so-called “Mad Monday” event this week, but things allegedly got out of hand.
A group of players began to set fire to each other’s clothes, and one of them, Clinton Jones, turned to Johnston and set his shirt and trousers alight.
Jones later apologised, saying: “As a playing group we were engaged in end-of-season activities which in hindsight were quite childish. I made an error of judgement in including Mr Johnston in the activity.”
“Mad Monday” celebrations, invariably alcohol-fuelled and in fancy dress, have a long history of making the wrong headlines across various sporting codes.
Aussie Rules has suffered a tough season, with Essendon coach James Hird banned for 12 months and the side hit with the biggest fine in the sport’s history — Aus$2.0 million — over a drug supplements scandal
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