Port Adelaide star Ollie Wines was bombarded by ‘1000’ anti-vaxxers after suffering heart problem

Port star Ollie Wines was bombarded by ‘a THOUSAND’ anti-vaxxers who accused him of taking hush money from big pharmaceutical companies after suffering heart problem on the field

  • Wines was taken from the field with an irregular heartbeat in round three 
  • Spent the night in hospital and missed a week before returning in round five
  • Anti-vaxxers who believe heart issues are linked to the jab swamped him online
  • Brownlow winner was accused of accepting money to keep quiet about situation 

Port Adelaide’s Ollie Wines was accused of being a paid stooge for giant pharmaceutical companies when ‘a thousand’ anti-vaxxers bombarded him with angry messages after he was sidelined with a heart problem in round three.

The Brownlow Medal winner had to be taken from the field in the Power’s round three loss to Melbourne and spent the night in hospital because of an irregular heartbeat.

Pundits on Channel Nine’s Sunday Footy Show questioned whether the episode was related to Covid vaccines – but Wines later said the two are ‘completely unrelated’ and his experience is ‘pretty common’ among elite athletes.

Now the star has revealed he was swamped with messages from the anti-vax movement after his health problem became public and was accused of being paid off to stay quiet.

‘I’ve never had that many Instagram DMs [direct messages] in my life,’ he told 3AW.

‘I had a thousand anti-vaxxers coming at me saying I’ve got to speak up … I’ll say it on radio: I wasn’t being paid off like everyone was saying I was by big pharmaceuticals – it was nothing to do with the vaccine.

‘It [the vaccine] was far out of my system and everything like that, it was something to do with a heart rhythm that can happen – it is rare – but it can happen in an elite athlete.’

Wines missed Port’s round four game due to the heart problem but returned the following week and has played strongly since then.

‘Once it was explained to me it was very reassuring and there’s not too many long-term effects,’ he said of the ailment the week after it struck.

‘The prognosis is really positive. I’ve got a few more tests to come and to see the cardiologist again but at this stage it’s not a big issue.’

The Australian Government’s Department of Health has confirmed that there is a small increased risk of pericarditis and/or myocarditis in people who have received messenger RNA Covid-19 vaccines including the Pfizer and Moderna jabs.

‘Symptoms of myocarditis or pericarditis typically appear within 1 to 5 days of vaccination. People who experience any of these symptoms after having an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine should seek prompt medical attention,’ the government website says.

Wines’ comments come after North Melbourne star Jed Anderson revealed he developed the heart condition pericarditis after getting his second Covid vaccination in order to continue his AFL career.

Anderson had been reluctant to get his second jab after he experienced an adverse reaction from his initial vaccination. All AFL players are required to be double-vaccinated which led to a standoff between Anderson and the club.

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