Controversial AFL star Jordan De Goey has broken his silence following his arrest in New York last week.
Issuing a statement on Twitter, the 25-year-old briefly ‘addressed’ the pending criminal matter in the US.
‘On the advice of my counsel, I cannot speak about the incident itself or make comment on the current legal matters that are still ongoing,’ De Goey wrote.
‘At this stage I will not be making any further comment on this matter.’
In the same statement, De Goey’s lawyer Jacob Kaplan said his client will ‘vigorously defend himself in court of December 8 against the unwarranted charges’.
The US based lawyer of Collingwood AFL star Jordan De Goey said his client will ‘vigorously defend’ allegations of sexual assault following an alleged recent incident in a New York venue last weekend
The Magpies forward (pictured right) is due to attend a court on New York on December 8
De Goey’s lawyer Jacob Kaplan has labelled the charges ‘unwarranted’ and that his client will continue to prepare for the 2022 AFL season abroad
‘Despite the original media reports otherwise, Mr De Goey has not been charged with forcible touching or any sexual assault crimes against a woman,’ he said.
‘There are no current restrictions on his travel and he plans on using the next few months to continue preparing for the upcoming AFL season.’
De Goey, 25, was charged by police after he allegedly ‘grabbed the buttocks and vagina outside clothing without authority to do so of a 35-year-old female’ at a New York venue, according to a statement from the New York Police Department.
The Magpies forward is then alleged to have assaulted a 37-year-old man who was with the woman.
New York Police also said the parties involved in the incident did not previously know each other and were all intoxicated.
A forcible touching charge for De Goey has since been withdrawn.
De Goey was allowed to leave Australia with a permit last month due to his sponsorship with the Monster Energy soft drink company.
De Goey pictured left. A New York Police Department statement alleges he grabbed a woman’s ‘buttocks and vagina outside clothing without permission or authority to do so’
The Herald Sun reported that Collingwood were not aware of the incident until it was reported in New York.
If there is an integrity incident involving police, AFL players are expected to immediately contact their club about it.
Two months ago, De Goey was slammed by a judge after he was fined more than $2,000 for driving offences.
The Collingwood forward avoided conviction and having his licence suspended, despite pleading guilty to driving offences dating back to 2019.
These included driving without displaying P plates, driving while suspended, using a mobile phone while being the driver of a stationary vehicle, failure to take licence to a specified place, speeding, and driving a prohibited vehicle for a probationary licence.
Collingwood player Jordan De Goey prepares for a night out in New York. He was later arrested and charged after allegedly groping a woman at a nightclub
‘He pleads guilty, which is indicative of remorse and insight into his offending,’ the magistrate noted.
‘If Mr de Goey drove safely in the first place, he would not had accumulated enough demerit points to see his licence suspended on 20 March 2019 for a three-month period.’
The magistrate also warned De Goey will have his licence suspended again if further driving breaches occur, NewsWire NCA reported.
The charges were from four incidents, including two from 2019 and another in February 2020 before De Goey was caught speeding at 93km/h in an 80km/h zone on the Nepean Highway in Melbourne’s south-east last December.
The court heard police found the P-plater wasn’t permitted to be driving the sports car and didn’t have his P-plates displayed.
De Goey told police the car was not his and that P-plates were on his other vehicle, the court heard.
The AFL star was previously caught texting on his mobile phone while stationary at traffic lights in South Yarra in July 2019 while his licence was suspended due to accrued demerit points.
He was also pulled over in February 2020 for failing to display P-plates while riding a motorcycle.
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