Disgraced former player agent Ricky Nixon will likely be charged over an alleged attack on A Current Affair reporter Seb Costello.
Sources within Channel 9 have told Daily Mail Australia Costello made a statement with Victoria Police detectives on Wednesday night, hours after Nixon was filmed appearing to elbow him in the face.
Costello had been accompanied by Channel 7 news reporter Tegan Dolling in questioning Nixon as he walked down Bay Street in Port Melbourne, just outside of Melbourne’s CBD, when Nixon lashed out.
Channel 7 reporter Tegan Dolling looks on in horror as Ricky Nixon appears to elbows ACA’s Seb Costello in the face
Nixon later appeared to push past Dolling (pictured) as he tried to get into his apartment block
Ricky Nixon was caught in bed with 17-year old Kim Duthie in 2011 – the scandal ended Nixon’s career as a player manager
Disturbing footage aired on ACA that night showed Nixon sarcastically apologise to Costello after appearing to crack the unsuspecting reporter in the jaw.
The 59-year old followed up on social media in a post that has since received a little over 300 comments – most of which applaud his actions.
‘God i wish the media would get it right – i thought i kicked him then stabbed him, slashed him then ran over him in my car and then finished him off with #TootToot !!! And got a standing ovation in Bay St,’ Nixon posted.
‘Match Review Panel said he ducked and ran in to it and that it was accidental. #ChickenGoesBANG.’
Sources have told Daily Mail Australia the alleged attack required Costello to seek medical attention.
The reporters had been attempting to question Nixon about his latest health venture, which was to see the former footballer sell IV infusions.
Nixon had appeared on the front page of Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper on Wednesday after he was slammed by the Australian Medical Association Victoria president Roderick McRae.
Nixon announced this week he was accepting bookings after striking up a partnership to offer IV Infusions for $350 for those who ‘want a totally revitalised life and feel’.
Nixon and fiancee Melissa Huynh
Nixon appears to elbow reporter Tegan Dolling out of the way as he enters his Port Melbourne apartment block
ACA news hound Seb Costello claims he was interviewing Ricky Nixon when he was attacked
Costello, who is the son of former Australian treasurer Peter Costello, refused to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia on Thursday.
Footage captured by his camera crew showed an irate Nixon also appear to shove his elbow into Dolling as he attempted to barge past her to enter his apartment block.
‘You’ve already elbowed me, now you’re going to push her out of the way,’ Costello told Nixon.
When Nixon reappeared later, he confronted Costello while he was doing a live cross on Melbourne’s 3AW radio.
Video aired on ACA last night showed Nixon pointing at Costello and then facing off with him as he continued the radio interview.
‘Mr Nixon, calm down,’ Costello told him.
‘We can de-escalate it, but you need to move out of my space please.’
As the reporters continued to chase him along Bay Street, Nixon doubled down on his alleged elbow of Dolling.
‘I love pushing the media out of the way cos you’re a bunch of low life dogs,’ he told the pair.
‘You’ve got children. How would you feel if people acted like that to your kids,’ Dolling asked Nixon.
‘I reckon they’d probably punch you in the head to be honest,’ Nixon replied.
ACA’s Seb Costello during his live cross to 3AW. He is seen trying to placate an angry Ricky Nixon
Ritual Biohacking, the medical company which was partnering with Nixon on the IV fusion venture, told ACA it was severing ties with Nixon following his Bat Street performance.
‘Ritual Biohacking is committed services that meet the demands of our clients,’ it told the program.
‘This partnership (with Nixon) will no longer be proceeding.’
On Thursday, Nixon’s girlfriend Melissa Huynh took to social media to defend her man’s health business using the hashtags ‘#mediaflogs’, ‘#getalife’ and ‘#leaveusalone’.
‘Doesn’t matter what he does and says … they (the media) will forever try to discredit him and ruin him. He’s living a jail sentence in their eyes. Sad but true. Imagine if it was their lives? Imagine if this happened to their family and friends??,’ she wrote.
While not endorsing Nixon’s media relations skills in her now deleted post, Huynh did approve of comments claiming Costello got what he deserved.
While those following the pair largely agreed with Nixon’s atrocious behaviour, some branded him the coward he is.
‘He might be a reporter, but that was a coward punch,’ one man wrote.
‘You are a flog. Time to grow up. Your kids must be embarrassed by your behaviour,’ a woman posted.
Nixon told the Herald Sun on Wednesday he was happy to co-operate with police over the assault allegations.
The photo that brought Nixon undone in 2011. Kim Duthie had snapped him in his jocks in a hotel room.
Kim Duthie leaves the Supreme Court of Victoria in 2015 while fighting Nixon’s plans to publish a tell-all book
‘If he wants to carry on about it and say it’s assault than go to the police, mate I will welcome them to my doorbell,’ he said.
Nixon is no stranger to court rooms, or accusations he is a coward.
In 2013, he was sentenced to a 24-month community corrections order for assaulting his former fiancee Tegan Gould.
Two years earlier he had suffered a spectacular fall from grace after being caught in bed with 17-year old Kim Duthie – known then as the ‘St Kilda Schoolgirl’.
Nixon had been at the peak of his powers at the time, with his agency Flying Start home to some of the AFL’s biggest names, including Wayne Carey, Gary Ablett Sr, Jason Dunstall and Tony Lockett.
His relationship with Duthie – now known as Kim Ametoglou – saw his agent license suspended for engaging in an ‘inappropriate personal relationship’ and ended his career managing footballers.
Since then he has never been far away from controversy, courtrooms and reporters.
The former AFL player, who played for St Kilda and Hawthorn, has a history of run-ins with the media.
In 2013 Nixon was leaving a Port Melbourne café when he tossed hot coffee over Nine News reporter Dougal Beatty.
Another time he threw coffee on a court photographer after a foul-mouth rant.
That followed the furious player manager’s first court meltdown after being told an alcohol interlock device was to be fitted to his car for a year.
Nixon is often seen at court contesting trivial fines and at present is listed to appear again on alleged speeding matters.
It is not the first time Nixon has butted heads with Costello.
Just last year Costello faced-off with him over allegations he was selling dud signatures on footballs to fans.
While police confirmed they were investigating those allegations, Nixon is yet to face any charges.
In 2019 Nixon started mobile medical clinic Vital Health Checks, visiting offices and worksites in a van to give busy workers 20-minute physical and mental checks.
He had his own mental health issues in October that year when he was taken to hospital after making suicidal threats.
Nixon gives ‘the bird’ outside the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in 2018. He had been up on a traffic offence
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