Bailey Smith has come under fire after verbally abusing a photographer during Geelong’s training session at GMHBA Stadium, with calls for both him and the club to issue an apology.
According to The Herald Sun’s Lauren Wood, the 24-year-old lashed out at News Corp photographer Alison Wynd after being photographed receiving hip treatment on the interchange bench.
Smith accused her of attempting to “bait” him before escalating the confrontation.
“Absolutely out of line”
SEN journalist Sam Edmund was scathing in his assessment, telling Dwayne’s World: “Speaking to people who were there, Bailey Smith shocked onlookers. He launched a tirade at a female photographer. It was an open training session at GMHBA Stadium … Alison said word to the effect of she was just doing her job to which Bailey replied, ‘well, you’re doing a s--t job’.”
MORE: Victoria set to host one game in AFL's Opening Round
Edmund added that Smith initially made an obscene gesture and later demanded Wynd delete the images, behaviour he described as “completely out of line and to be honest, outright bizarre”.
Wynd herself told News Corp: “Previously, when Bailey was leaving the pitch, he said, ‘Did you get enough f---ing photos yet?’ … Bailey got on the table, I photographed him, and then he said it was a breach of his privacy, that I was trying to bait him, which is incorrect.”
SEN commentator Dwayne Russell was blunt: “The need to quickly apologise, the Geelong Football Club, for this … you need to be able to treat people a bit more respectfully than this. It’s not good enough.”
It is the second time this year Smith has clashed with the media at training, raising fresh questions about his relationship with scrutiny and expectations of professionalism.