Current and former AFL players involved in a mass leak or personal and private images were likely educated about the risks of sharing intimate photos online.
The revelation comes as one of the players caught up in the scandal said he was ‘really disappointed’.
‘It’s a gross breach of privacy. It’s just not fair,’ he told the Herald Sun.
Channel 7 commentator and former Essendon player Jobe Watson said he and his teammates were told they could ‘lose control’ of their private images.
‘We were told that once something leaves your phone, it enters the public domain even if you think it is to a private message,’ he told Sunrise on Thursday.
‘That you do lose control of that. There was a real education piece on how to handle that and to be careful on what you do provide to other people.
‘You don’t know where it then gets sent off and unfortunately it is part of society, you don’t have any control once it leaves your private phone.’
Channel 7 commentator and former Essendon player Jobe Watson said players were told they could ‘lose control’ of their private images if they entered the public domain
A Google Drive file containing photos, videos and screenshots allegedly featuring more than 45 players, including Brownlow medallists, is being investigated by the league and the police after it began circulating on social media.
The file link lists each player’s name, which is accompanied by a folder of explicit, graphic photos and images allegedly of them.
Sunrise host Natalie Barr pointed out that a lot of the photos had ‘heads missing’ and therefore ‘could be anybody’ or photoshopped.
‘A lot of them could be digitally altered which happens nowadays, and then that player, their names are dragged through the mud,’ she said.
‘Past players particularly, family members, there’s a lot of people who this directly affects and there’s no level of proof on who it actually is,’ Watson said.
‘I’m sure there will be a lot of players out seeking support, for what is a distressing period for them.’
In a statement on Wednesday, an AFL spokesman said the pictures had been shared without consent but were still yet to be verified.
A Google drive contains a list of player names with folders of images purporting to be them
Former Essendon Bombers player Jobe Watson (pictured in 2017) said he and his teammates had been educated about the risks of sharing intimate images online
‘The AFL has been made aware of private and personal images of past and present AFL players being distributed and shared illegally and without consent after being contacted by a number of AFL clubs,’ a spokesman said.
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‘The images have been circulated by an anonymous person/s and it is alleged the files feature private and personal images of past and present AFL players however it is important to note that many of the images are yet to be verified for identification.’
‘There appears to have been significant work involved in gathering the images and creating files for distribution.
‘The AFL has no information regarding why the personal images have been circulated illegally and without consent or what the motive is in doing so.’
Geelong Hall of Fame great Jimmy Bartel lashed out at the ‘disgusting’ person or persons behind the major leak.
‘It’s gross – a majority of image are fake, made up, staged,’ he told 3AW radio.
‘It’s someone grubby who will hopefully get caught. This is a criminal matter now.’
Melbourne Demons legend Garry Lyon urged fans not to share the images.
‘If it gets sent to you and you send it on, you are in big, big strife and you may go to jail,’ Lyon told SEN Breakfast on Thursday.
‘My message would be this… if you get it, you forward it on at your peril. Because you’re then disseminating photos that have been illegally obtained and then you’re as liable as the person that started it. I’m being serious here, that’s big trouble.’
The AFL Players’ Association said the leak was an ‘appalling and disgusting act’.
In a statement on Wednesday, an AFL spokesman said the pictures had been shared without consent but were still yet to be verified (pictured, AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan)
‘The AFL Players’ Association is aware of the AFL investigating a collection of explicit images that have been distributed of past and present players without their consent,’ chief executive Paul Marsh said in a statement on Wednesday night.
‘While it is important to note that some of the images may not be legitimate, this is an appalling and disgusting act and a likely unlawful breach of privacy that is unacceptable.
‘We ask the public to treat this matter seriously by not seeking out or sharing any of these photos and respecting the rights and privacy of those impacted.’
Mr Marsh said the incident was now in the hands of police and that players were being supported with legal and wellbeing services.
The AFL’s Integrity Unit (AFLIU) has commenced work with the eSafety Commissioner to remove the images from the internet.
‘The AFL has also made the relevant law enforcement agencies aware of the situation,’ a spokesman said.
Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting wrongdoing on the part of the AFL players, nor has verified the authenticity of any of the images.
