Source : Perth Now news
A former AFL player is seeking more than $1.2m in damages after an intimate part of his body was broadcast to the nation.
In a case which returned to court on Monday, former Adelaide Crows player Ricky Henderson continued his pursuit of the AFL and broadcaster Fox Sports over an incident more than a decade ago.
During the halftime interval of a clash between the Crows and Brisbane Lions at the Gabba, Henderson exposed himself in the kicking room while readjusting his shorts.
Seemingly unbeknown to the winger, who made 90 appearances for the Crows between 2009 and 2016, the moment was caught live by Fox cameras and broadcast to the nation.
Court documents obtained by NewsWire include devastating claims from the 37-year-old about the lasting impact of the incident on April 6, 2013.
In claims filed by his solicitor, Luke Rowley, it is alleged the fallout from the embarrassing incident had resulted in “significant impairments to his socialisation, relationships, occupational and self-efficiency”.
The documents state Henderson’s mental health issues were “unlikely to fully resolve and he was likely to remain at risk of having his traumatic memories and symptoms retriggered”.
The former footballer’s legal team have argued that the league and the broadcaster were negligent in allowing the footage to be broadcast, causing him “extreme embarrassment and hurt”.
“AFL ought to have known that there was a risk of injury to the applicant if images of his genitalia were to be broadcast,” the documents state.
“AFL failed to ensure Fox only filmed players for broadcast on live television in circumstances were Fox had reasonably used a broadcasting delay facility to ensure embarrassing or unintended footage or audio was not broadcast.”
The documents go on to state the incident had resulted in Henderson suffering a litany of mental health symptoms as a result, including low mood and anxiety, socially avoidant behaviours and disturbed sleep.
In October 2024, he was diagnosed with acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, both of which have been attributed to the incident.
The AFL has argued that Henderson “knew or ought to have known about the presence of the camera” and “knew or ought to have known that it was due to be live streamed”.
“AFL says the kicking room was not a changing room and this was known by the applicant, and he exposed himself notwithstanding,” documents filed in the AFL’s defence read.
During the hearing at South Australia’s District Court on Monday, Associate Judge Mark Blumberg said there were a number of outstanding issues in the suit.
“There are matters that need to be resolved before the parties undertake any solution-focused activities,” he said.
He added that should resolutions not be found and the case proceeds to a civil trial, it would not be in the short term.
“That could be years away,” he said.
The case was adjourned until September.
