The AFL has faced criticism over its investigation into former Carlton president Luke Sayers after a lewd photo was posted on his X account during a family holiday in Italy in January 2025. Court documents filed by his wife, Cate Sayers, allege the league cleared him of wrongdoing in just two weeks without a proper probe.
The photo, which showed Sayers’ penis, was posted on his account and tagged a senior executive of a major Carlton sponsor. It was deleted after 15 minutes, with Sayers claiming his account was hacked. The incident led to the collapse of his marriage and his resignation as a Carlton director.
Cate Sayers is now suing her husband for defamation and invasion of privacy over a statutory declaration he signed, which she says wrongly blamed her for the post. The declaration allegedly contained false claims about her sexual history, mental health, and relationships, including that she suffers from bipolar disorder and multi-personality disorder.
In court documents, Cate Sayers’ lawyers argue the AFL’s investigation was inadequate and not independent. They claim the league did not interview her, forensically examine Luke Sayers’ phone or X account, or follow its own Respect and Responsibility Investigations Protocol. The AFL is accused of working with Carlton to exonerate Luke Sayers publicly.
Luke Sayers’ lawyers have yet to respond to the latest claims, but earlier argued the statutory declaration was true and legally privileged. They also noted that a 20 March letter from his lawyers admitted the photo was not taken for medical purposes, as previously claimed.
