Inside the Richmond pub where Dustin Martin was filmed groping a topless woman at Mad Monday party

New details have emerged after footage surfaced online of Richmond champion Dustin Martin groping a topless woman’s breast from behind after handing her a drink during an end-of-season celebration in 2015.

The vision was made public on the eve of the Tigers’ elimination final against the Brisbane Lions, which saw Richmond bundled out of the finals in a tense two-point loss at the Gabba on Thursday night.

Martin is pictured with the topless woman and smirking after the alleged incident

The incident occurred during a team function for Mad Monday at The Sporting Globe Bar & Grill in Richmond following the 2015 AFL season, according to the Herald Sun.

The players were allegedly in the venue’s private function area when the images were taken. 

The Sporting Globe Bar & Grill is a national chain of pubs/restaurants that have the premise of ensuring punters are ‘always close to the action’ with a wide array of screens and sporting channels delivering live sport from around the world.

Martin trudges off the field dejected after the club’s elimination final loss to the Brisbane Lions on Thursday night

There are 11 franchises in Victoria alone, including regional areas like Geelong and Ballarat. There are also two franchises in Brisbane, Sydney and three in Western Australia.

The Sporting Globe Bar & Grill in Richmond where the Mad Monday celebrations took place

In Victoria, venues require an Adult Entertainment Permit for the provision of sexually explicit entertainment under the Liquor Act 1992.

However, under section 3 of the Sex Work Act 1994 [Victoria] stripping without toy play is not classified as sex work and could be exempt from requiring this permit.

With the Tigers’ season now over, both the AFL and Richmond are expected to investigate the incident. 

‘The Club has become aware of a video from 2015 that is circulating on-line involving Dustin Martin. The AFL has been informed and we are working cooperatively to understand the circumstances,’ Richmond said in a statement.

Tigers coach Damien Hardwick admitted ahead of the club’s elimination final loss that the Martin situation had been a distraction.

‘These thing happen from time to time in footy clubs,’ he said on Fox Footy.

‘We’ve dealt with a few issues [before] and we’ll deal with more issues again in the future, but the reality is the guys will move on with it.

‘It has been a little bit of a distraction but the fact of the matter is, the guys are here to get a job done and so are we.’ 

Footy legend Garry Lyon described the fiasco as the AFL’s ‘worst nightmare’.

‘That would be, for all sorts of the reasons, the AFL’s worst nightmare on the launch of this finals series,’ Lyon said on SEN.

The Mad Monday scandal kicked off in this area of the hotel, easily indentifiable by the distinctive red beams shown in the video of Martin groping the woman

Lyon compared the Martin footage with the Jordan de Goey scandal earlier this season, in which the Collingwood star attempted to expose a woman’s breast while away in Bali.

‘I don’t know what to say to this other than you are responsible for your own actions,’ Lyon added.

‘That was the thing from Jordan’s perspective, unsolicited touching, whether you knew them or not, is not acceptable. That is why it will be an issue and that is why it will be a story that continues to rage throughout the day.’

Martin’s future at Richmond remains under a cloud. While he is contracted to the end of the 2024 season, but has been linked with a return to Sydney and a possible shift to either the Swans or GWS. 

Tigers coach Damien Hardwick says he expects Martin to remain at the club in 2023 and 24

He has also been linked to a potential move to the Gold Coast, but coach Damien Hardwick said he expects Martin to be a Tiger in 2023 and beyond.

‘He’s got two years of his contract to run so as far as I’m concerned all the speculation comes from the people sitting over that side of the table [media]. If you guys keep talking about it, it creates speculation,’ he said.

‘The reality is I’m telling you that he’s got two more years of his contract. He’s not going anywhere.’