The AFL has defended its integrity unit's investigation into a lewd social media post involving former Carlton president Luke Sayers, as his wife Cate pursues defamation and privacy claims in the Victorian Supreme Court.
Court documents filed by Cate Sayers allege that the AFL cleared her husband of wrongdoing within two weeks of the January 2025 post, without interviewing her or conducting a forensic examination of his phone or X account. She claims the investigation was inadequate and biased, failing to follow the AFL's own protocols.
The post, an image of Luke Sayers' penis, was published on his X account during a family holiday in Italy and deleted after 15 minutes. He claimed his account was hacked. Cate Sayers' lawyers argue that a statutory declaration he provided to the AFL falsely blamed her for the post and included defamatory claims about her mental health and sexual history.
Luke Sayers' lawyers have not yet responded to the latest claims, but earlier documents state that the statutory declaration was true and required for the AFL investigation. The AFL has not commented on the ongoing legal proceedings.
