Geelong star Bailey Smith has apologised after verbally abusing a photographer during an open training session this week, admitting his outburst was inappropriate.
The 24-year-old confronted Geelong Advertiser snapper Alison Wynd as she took pictures of him receiving treatment on the sidelines. According to Wynd, Smith accused her of breaching his privacy before swearing at her and later demanding she delete the images.
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‘A completely unwarranted reaction’
Speaking to The Age, Wynd described the midfielder’s behaviour as over the line.
“I just thought it was a completely unwarranted reaction to the situation,” she said. “Prior to that, I photographed Mitch Duncan on the same massage table getting worked on. 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. It wasn’t as if I was photographing him with his girlfriend. It was an open media training session.”
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Smith has since messaged Wynd to apologise, and she has accepted. “She thanked him for the apology and the admission that his actions were inappropriate,” the report said.
The incident adds to a difficult year off the field for Smith, who has already been fined for obscene gestures toward supporters and was previously involved in another run-in with a photographer.
Teammate Shannon Neale, speaking after the session, said: “If I respect you guys, I’ll get the respect back and vice versa … I think that’s the relationship we should have in the workplace.”
Despite the controversy, Neale praised Smith’s impact at the Cats, saying he has brought “good energy” to the club and remains a key figure ahead of their preliminary final next week.