Magpies deny players involved in explicit viral video and warn fans of criminal offence.
Colloingwood has publicly denied swirling rumours around a current and former player being involved in an explicit viral video.
The club released a statement on Thursday evening after the video was shared around social media over the last few days.
It warned fans to stop sharing the video as doing so is a criminal offence.
“We are aware of a video currently circulating alleging to involve a Collingwood player and their partner. Another former Collingwood player has been linked to capturing the video,” Magpies CEO Craig Kelly said.
“The club wishes to address the matter to make clear both these allegations are completely untrue and the video being circulated does NOT involve any current or former Collingwood players or their partners.
“For all members of the public, it is important to note the distribution of explicit content without the consent of all parties involved is a criminal offence.
“We will continue to support all our players and their families during this time.”
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‘Phone blowing up’: Ginnivan’s manager rejects Pie claim, reveals moment he ‘knew’ star was gone
The Jack Ginnivan trade blame game continues to divide over exactly who jumped first on his deal to Hawthorn.
Premiership Pie Ginnivan only returned from Bali on Monday; he met with Hawks on Tuesday and was officially traded on Wednesday in a whirlwind 48 hours.
Collingwood’s footy boss Graham Wright was adamant Ginnivan wasn’t “pushed out the door” by the recent signings of Bobby Hill and Lachie Schultz – insisting no conversations were had about offloading the small forward with a year to run on his deal.
But Ginnivan’s manager John Meesen said the “goalposts changed pretty quickly” this week.
“I picked up the phone and called Wrighty after my phone started blowing up,” he said on SEN.
“It was put to me that Jack was being floated around.
From that conversation I got off the phone to him knowing that Jack’s future wasn’t at Collingwood.
“Who initiated the discussion was probably me on the back of some trusted people in the industry saying his name is kind of getting thrown out there.
“(I asked Wright) where does he sit? What does it look like? Can you give us any assurance? There wasn’t a whole heap of fighting to want to keep Jack at the footy club so we had to move quickly
“That’s the nature of the industry – we move on.”
There was speculation Ginnivan had fallen out of favour with the Magpies – with the “final straw” his grand final eve trip to the Moonee Valley races, according to SEN’s Sam Edmund.
The 20-year-old endured a “whirlwind” rise at the Magpies – but his 2023 season was marred by a pre-season drug scandal before form saw him dropped to the VFL before a late finals reprieve.
“He was a contracted player, he’s a premiership player, he’s 20 years old, and we were pretty clear we saw it that way,” Wright said.
“It was Jack’s decision to look elsewhere. In the end we appreciate that, we accept it and we move on.“
Wright denied the Moonee Valley ordeal played a part in the club’s decision to trade Ginnivan.
“I think that‘s been a little bit overblown. Players can pick and choose what they want to do,” he said.
“It‘s a little bit unusual, obviously, the day before the grand final. But it wasn’t the end of the world either.”
“When (Collingwood) decided to bring in some guys over the last couple of years … I think that had a bit of a direct effect of where Jack stood in the standings at the Collingwood footy club,” he said.
“You’ve got to read the room.
“Is he the most elite professional trainer? Probably not – but he’s young. Not many are at 20 years old.
“The whirlwind he’s had … gone from relatively unknown to this enigma and this personality in the AFL industry … it’s probably hard to escape that.
“Was it standards, was it him, was it just being at Collingwood? The magnifying glass that Collingwood brings is intense.
“Less than 20 days ago, he was becoming a premiership player.
“Hopefully this is what Jack needs to settle into his career and probably take the spotlight off him.”
