Long-time AFL reporter Mark Robinson has delivered a scathing rebuke of Geelong midfielder Bailey Smith, calling his behaviour towards women “disgusting” and criticising the AFL for failing to take disciplinary action.
Smith drew backlash after verbally abusing a female photographer during an open training session before later sharing a Mad Monday photo mocking veteran journalist Caroline Wilson.
In the image, teammate Max Holmes dressed as Wilson while Smith flipped his middle finger, adding a dripping water emoji and the caption “Wilson’s never looked better.”
“It’s not woke to call it out. It’s decency”
Speaking on AFL Trade Radio, Robinson didn’t hold back. “For Bailey Smith to be a part of an Instagram photo with (Holmes dressed as) Caroline Wilson and put a (colloquially) semen emoji up there is one of the most disgusting things I’ve seen a player do,” he said.
“If it was my mother, or my sister, or my wife ... I can guarantee you myself and my three brothers would be going around to say hello to Bailey Smith. Who does he think he is to put a semen emoji on a photo of Caroline Wilson? It’s not woke to call it out. It’s decency. Be a decent person.”
Robinson went on to condemn both the AFL and club officials for their silence on the matter. “For the AFL to allow that to go unpunished is one of the most disgusting inactions by the AFL in my time in football,” he said. “We can all laugh at Bailey Smith and say he’s just a young man — you can have fun without being a pig.”
The outspoken journalist also criticised football boss Greg Swann and AFL chief Andrew Dillon for “allowing it to go through to the keeper without punishment,” saying the incident reflects a deeper problem with player behaviour and accountability across the league.