Collingwood star Jack Crisp is being investigated after a video full of crude images appeared on social media.
The Magpies on Wednesday night confirmed they were aware of the video of Crisp circulating online.
“The club has been in contact with the AFL and will work through the situation before providing a further update,” a club statement read.
According to the Herald Sun, the club have cleared Crisp to face Brisbane on Thursday night.
The video shows a person scrolling through several screenshots of Snapchats, many clearly showing Crisp’s bearded face.
Several of the photos appear to show illicit substances.
The last two images are explicit and shows a man standing, but his face is not visible.
It’s not known how old the content is or whether those graphic images are of Crisp.
Collingwood were forced to deal with a drugs scandal involving young gun Jack Ginnivan during the pre-season.
Ginnivan was banned for the first two rounds of the season after being filmed taking an illicit substance in the cubicle of a nightclub.
Crisp has played an extraordinary 191 consecutive games dating back to round 18, 2014 when he played for the Brisbane Lions.
The games streak is comfortably the most by a current player, well ahead of Melbourne star Christian Petracca (110).
Undefeated Collingwood will tackle the under-fire Brisbane Lions at the Gabba in an intriguing clash on Thursday night.
Speaking on Nine’s Footy Classified, former Magpies president Eddie McGuire suggested the club believes the video is not recent.
“We’re not quite sure but we’re lead to believe it’s historical, it’s from a number of years back,” McGuire said.
Chris Fagan has coined it “let’s pick on Joey Daniher week” but the Brisbane Lions coach isn’t a believer.
The Lions mentor has put the key forward’s work rate under the microscope ahead of Thursday’s sold-out Gabba date with the red-hot Collingwood.
But he doesn’t think criticism of the lanky goal-kicker led by former club great Jonathan Brown is warranted.
“It’s an interesting one; the week before (against Melbourne) he kicks four goals and nobody is talking about it,” Fagan said.
“Last week he kicks 0.4 and it’s ‘Let’s pick on Joey Daniher week’.
“He’s not the only one up there; we need all our other tall forwards to be playing better. The forward line in general wasn’t at its best.
“Reserve judgement. We tend to jump on his back pretty quickly. We’re much slower to pat him on the back when he plays well.”
The pair took turns playing key roles in finals victories last season but Daniher and Eric Hipwood have combined for seven goals and just three contested marks in the Lions’ 1-2 start to 2023.
Recruit Jack Gunston, brought in from Hawthorn as a replacement for Collingwood pick-up Dan McStay, kicked three of his five goals this season in one quarter of last week’s dour loss to the Bulldogs.
McStay is likely to spend time in the ruck against his old club on Thursday for the injury-hit, but unbeaten, Magpies.
Fagan said McStay’s worth was never questioned during his nine seasons at the Gabba, but Hipwood and Daniher’s inconsistency couldn’t be put down to the hard-working forward’s absence.
Instead, the coach pinned it solely on them, demanding more activity before and after the ball is delivered into the forward 50m.
“Not last week,” he said when asked if he’d been satisfied with Hipwood and Daniher’s work rate.
“A bit of that’s them, a bit of that is ball movement as well.
“And the stats will tell you this season we haven’t been very good at winning the ball when it hits the ground in our forward line.”
Unbeaten Collingwood have continued the eye-catching football they discovered under former Lions champion Craig McRae last season.
Second-year star Nick Daicos is the early Brownlow Medal favourite, averaging more than 33 disposals per game.
“He bobs up in different spots on the ground; halfback, wing, inside … he’s a little bit hard to tag because they move him around,” Fagan said of the 20-year-old.
“Their (strength is their) ability to turn up in numbers in contests; they keep it in motion and supply their forwards pretty well and seem to be on the one page with that.”
Collingwood recalled forward Reef McInnes in place of the injured Darcy Cameron (knee).
Cameron’s absence will leave former Lion Dan McStay and fellow talls Ash Johnson and Billy Frampton to share the ruck duties.
The Lions will again be without Daniel Rich and they have dropped Darcy Fort to make room for Jaxon Prior’s return.
McRae, whose face will be among those on the special Lions’ guernsey celebrating 20 years since their 2003 flag, is wary.
“Their backs are against the wall a little bit,” the second-year coach said.
“It seems like they’re a different team at home and we go up there knowing that they don’t lose too many home games.
“They’re not going to give us anything. It should be a great game.”
North Melbourne president Sonja Hood will make a welcome return to the football after being declared cancer free.
In an open letter published on the Kangaroos website, Hood said she had been given the all-clear from specialists after being diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, and would attend the club’s marquee match against Carlton on Good Friday.
Hood underwent a mastectomy and tissue reconstruction following the club’s announcement of her diagnosis in February.
“Like many other women who have had breast cancer, I’ll be on medication for the next five to 10 years to reduce the chances of it coming back,” Hood wrote.
“It’s been a whirlwind. Although I’m overjoyed at the result, it’s been a couple of months I’d prefer not to repeat.
“I also know that if we hadn’t found it when we did, this could be a very different outcome. So please, if you need to go and get tested – do it.”
North’s Good Friday match doubles as a fundraiser for the Royal Children’s Hospital, with Carlton this year replacing the Western Bulldogs in the timeslot.
Hood was pivotal in luring master coach Alastair Clarkson to Arden St after the club sacked David Noble in July.
The Kangaroos, who have taken out the last two wooden spoons, secured surprising victories against West Coast and Fremantle to open their season, and sit seventh with a 2-1 record.
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