AFL star Jonathon Patton has been taken to hospital for mental health treatment after a string of women accused him of sending them inappropriate messages.
The 27-year-old was stood down from the Hawthorn Hawks as an investigation into the allegations continues.
It’s now believed Patton has been admitted to hospital amid the fallout from the bombshell accusations.
‘We can confirm that Jonathon Patton has been admitted to hospital to assist in the management of his ongoing mental health. We hope that Jonathon’s privacy be respected at this time,’ Connor Sports Management said.
Jonathon Patton has been admitted to hospital amid the fallout of the bombshell accusations
Elle Coonan was approached by the Hawthorn forward back in June 2020, and claims the conversation quickly turned sexual
‘We hope that Jonathon’s privacy is respected at this time.’
Hawthorn CEO Justin Reeves said in a statement that the club is ensuring Patton ‘receives the support he requires during this period’.
‘We take this matter very seriously and our Integrity Committee is working in conjunction with the AFL’s Integrity Unit to undertake the investigation into these complaints within the framework of the AFL’s Respect and Responsibility Policy.
‘We anticipate this process will take some time and we will provide a further update when more information is available.’
Patton’s hospital admission comes after a young woman who claims she was sent sexually explicit messages by the star is being trolled for calling him out.
The Hawthorn forward, 27, is being investigated by his club’s Integrity Committee after an unnamed woman went public with her claims
The 27-year-old was stood down from the Hawthorn Hawks as an investigation into the allegations continues
Elle Coonan claims she was approached by the Hawthorn forward in June via Instagram and said the conversation quickly turned sexual.
The 22-year-old said Patton tried to fly her from her home in Brisbane to Melbourne at the height of the Covid pandemic and that she had to ‘remind him the city was in lockdown’.
Ms Coonan is one of four women who have come forward to accuse the 27-year-old of sending inappropriate sexual photos and videos of himself.
Patton strongly denies ever sending unsolicited images and videos.
Ms Coonan claims that over the course of a month, Patton called and FaceTimed her relentlessly, asking for naked photographs or pictures of her feet. On several occasions, Patton allegedly sent the then-21-year-old lewd pictures and videos of himself.
But since she’s come forward she has been bombarded by abuse from Patton’s supporters, leaving her unable to sleep and forcing her to delete her social media accounts.
‘I didn’t sleep for over 40 hours… I was in tears all day,’ she said.
‘At times I regretted coming forward and wished I kept my mouth shut… but I know I did the right thing.’
She said she ‘didn’t speak out for attention’ but because she wanted to make sure he knew that sending alleged unsolicited messages was ‘never OK’.
‘He said wanted to see me in heels and kiss my feet,’ Ms Coonan recalled.
The woman shared these screenshots of a conversation she had with Patton in July 2020
Depending on what is uncovered in the internal investigation, Hawthorn’s Integrity Committee can issue fines or match bans to players
After suggesting she fly to Melbourne to see him during lockdown – while his club was working to set up player ‘bubbles’ to ensure the AFL could continue during the pandemic – Patton allegedly asked if Ms Coonan would ‘want to be paid’ to have sex with him.
In Instagram exchanges seen by Daily Mail Australia, Patton asked if he would be required ‘to pay’.
When Ms Coonan questioned what he was referring to, he replied: ‘To f**k’. The journalism graduate explained that she was not an escort.
Ms Coonan said she repeatedly told the AFL star she shared risque photos of herself on adults only website OnlyFans, and instructed him to subscribe to her page if he wanted to see explicit content.
After suggesting she fly to Melbourne to see him during lockdown – while his club were tirelessly working to set up player ‘bubbles’ to ensure the AFL could continue during the pandemic – Patton allegedly asked if Ms Coonan would ‘want to be paid’ to have sex with him
After several alleged attempts at getting Ms Coonan to send him naked photos, she said he abruptly stopped messaging her and had unfollowed her.
Since coming forward, Ms Coonan said there have been several messages from trolls that have repeatedly come up that particularly irked her.
Several people have blamed her for giving Patton her number in the first place, to which she explained that most of the messages were actually sent over Instagram.
‘Even though we exchanged numbers, this was done so under the guise that he would speak to me respectfully,’ she said.
‘I gave him my number but I did not consent to him FaceTiming me with while he was [gratifying himself], much like you can agree to a date but not consent to sex.
‘It was not an invitation for him to gratify himself sexually to my discomfort, as he has done with so many other women.’
Since coming forward, Ms Coonan (left) said there have been several messages from trolls that have repeatedly come up that particularly irk her. She shared a screenshot of Patton allegedly trying to FaceTime her (right)
Patton’s first accuser said the pictures were ‘intimate’ and distributed on social media
Ms Coonan has also been accused of speaking out ‘for a payday’ or for a career in social media.
‘I do not know of any woman who has a built a career off of the back of breaking a story [like this], I have only ever seen the opposite,’ she said, before adding that she’d prefer to be known for her own merits.
The 22-year-old encourages any other woman in her position to share their own experiences, but says the sl**-shaming and victim blaming definitely make it harder for people to come forward.
Patton first came under fire last weekend when an unnamed woman accused him of sending her ‘intimate’ pictures through social media.
A day after the allegations were made, Jacqueline Kearton, from Melbourne spoke publicly on her own alleged encounter with Patton.
She claimed he sent her unsolicited lewd photos and videos via Instagram in September 2019.
Ms Keaton didn’t contact police at the time, but wants him to be held accountable.
‘He just needs to be made an example of so that young guys that are coming up and looking up towards these older players think ‘I better not do that sort of stuff,’ she told 7News.
‘Unfortunately it’s not something that’s uncommon, but it makes you feel uncomfortable.’
Melbourne woman Jacqueline Kearton claimed Patton sent her unsolicited lewd photos and videos via Instagram in September 2019
Ms Coonan has also been accused of speaking out ‘for a payday’ or for a career in social media
After Ms Coonan came forward, a fourth woman on Monday accused Patton of messaging her and trying to arrange a meet-up during the Covid crisis.
The anonymous woman said he first began messaging her on Instagram in January of 2020 and by March the nature of those chats was highly sexualised.
He became ‘aggressive’ when she didn’t reply to him, the woman claimed.
‘He said I was immature and asked if I had died from coronavirus when I didn’t reply,’ she said.
Eventually, the pair met for dinner, but the woman said she was made to feel uncomfortable after the encounter when Patton allegedly asked her to FaceTime him and ‘watch me c** all over myself’.
‘I felt quite sick… it’s not normal behaviour,’ she said.
The Hawthorn Football Club is aware of the allegations and is investigating the matter.
‘The allegations are of behaviour that does not reflect the values and standards of Hawthorn Football Club,’ the club said in a statement.
Ms Coonan is urging other women to come forward if they feel like it will help them process and move on
‘As soon as it became aware the club addressed the matter with Patton directly and clearly communicated that any behaviour of this nature would not be tolerated.
‘The club takes these allegations seriously and has referred the matter to Hawthorn’s Integrity Committee. Hawthorn promotes and advocates for equality and respect for everyone and demands this same behaviour from all involved with the club.’
Depending on what is uncovered in the internal investigation, Hawthorn’s Integrity Committee can issue fines or match bans to players.
Patton, the AFL’s number one draft pick in 2011, joined the Hawks last season after playing for Greater Western Sydney from 2012 to 2019.
Injuries resulted in him playing just six games last year.
Patton (centre), the AFL’s number one draft pick in 2011, joined the Hawks this season after playing for Greater Western Sydney from 2012 to 2019