AFL journalist defends league’s decision to stand down a reporter for exposing WAG for covid breach

Top journalist defends AFL’s decision to stand down its own reporter for outing footy WAG who broke virus rules by getting a facial – but he refuses to answer a crucial question

  • Mitch Cleary was stood down for naming an AFL WAG who breached restrictions
  • His co-worker Damian Barrett said AFL Media had the right to punish Cleary
  • Barrett argued there was an editorial policy in place not to publish names
  • But when pressed on how media team was told, he repeatedly dodged question

A veteran journalist says the AFL made the ‘right decision’ to stand down its own reporter for outing an WAG who breached quarantine rules to get a facial at a day spa. 

Mitch Cleary tweeted a post from Brooke Cotchin, the wife of Richmond captain Trent, sharing her experience at a day spa after travelling to an AFL hub on the Gold Coast from Victoria.   

The breach saw the Tigers fined $45,000 and Cleary was promptly stood down. 

The AFL back-flipped on its decision on Monday after backlash from industry commentators, football greats – and Mrs Cotchin herself. 

But Cleary’s co-worker Damian Barrett said he believed the league was right to punish the reporter. 

Veteran AFL journalist Damian Barrett said the league was right to stand down its own reporter, and his co-worker, for outing a football WAG for breaching quarantine protocols to get a facial

Mitch Cleary (pictured) was stood down by the AFL but was reinstated in his role on Monday

Mitch Cleary (pictured) was stood down by the AFL but was reinstated in his role on Monday

‘It was the right decision for an organisation to reflect upon what he did,’ Barrett said on his podcast The Sounding Board.

‘He didn’t get stood down. He was looked at over the action of the tweet … and any organisation has the right to do what it wants to do and sees fit.

‘Mitch obviously tweeted or retweeted or reposted an already public photo … in a time frame in which he shouldn’t have.’   

Barrett said AFL Media had made an editorial decision not to name any family members who had broken the rules.

Brooke Cotchin, the wife of Richmond captain Trent, (both pictured) attended a day spa in breach of quarantine restrictions after travelling to the Gold Coast from Victoria

Brooke Cotchin, the wife of Richmond captain Trent, (both pictured) attended a day spa in breach of quarantine restrictions after travelling to the Gold Coast from Victoria

Sports journalist Craig Hutchison pressured Barrett on the podcast and questioned if the league had informed him or Cleary of the policy. 

Barrett repeatedly dodged questions on how he was aware of the editorial policy and admitted Cleary may not have been informed. 

‘How was that articulated to you?’ Hutchison said.

‘I’m not going to give up confidential conversations arraying to this or any other matter,’ Barrett replied. 

He said Cleary should have taken the public photos through the editorial processes instead of sharing them to social media.

Shortly after Cleary was reinstated, he spoke on the AFL Exchange online podcast where he explained he didn’t think he was doing anything wrong at the time.

‘I decided to tweet the photo that Brooke Cotchin had posted to her own Instagram some time before that. I felt that I was adding a layer to the story, she’d been named publicly in the days prior to that,’ Cleary said. 

‘I felt I was just adding a bit of detail to that, no malice intended at all to Brooke. I just felt that I was doing what was required and adding detail to the story.

‘Clearly I wasn’t aware of the protection of the names that we had in place and the AFL had put in place. I could see it — I should’ve been across that, really.’ 

Cleary said he did not intend to cause ‘extra angst to the Cotchin family’ and felt that he was just doing this job.

Mrs Cotchin penned a heartfelt apology on Instagram on Monday for her 'innocent mistake' (pictured)

Mrs Cotchin penned a heartfelt apology on Instagram on Monday for her ‘innocent mistake’ (pictured)

Mrs Cotchin penned a heartfelt apology on Instagram on Monday for her ‘innocent mistake’ and called for Cleary to be reinstated.

‘I don’t know Mitch Cleary, but I do not agree with him being stood down and I have voiced that to the AFL,’ she wrote.

‘It is his job and it does not help anyone’s situation especially in current circumstances.’ 

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