Nathan Broad, the Richmond player who distributed a photograph of a topless woman wearing a premiership medal in the days after the Tigers' grand final win, has offered an unqualified apology for his betrayal.
Broad, 24, read a statement in front of the media at Punt Rd Oval on Mondayflanked by Tigers president Peggy O'Neal.
"I take full responsibility for what I've done," Broad said. "I sent a very private picture without this young woman's consent.
"I'm ashamed, I'm embarrassed and I made a very bad drunken decision. Not only have I let down my family, my friends and the Richmond Football Club, most of all I let down a young woman, who I cared about. A young woman who I spent time with before the grand final and a young woman who I like and respect."
"I'm deeply sorry for the heartache I caused this young woman and her family, it was never my intention to hurt her," Broad continued. "By sending the picture I lied to her and broke her trust.
"This young woman deserves to have her privacy respected ... I'm the one who deserves to be punished, not this woman. She does not deserve any more pain."
O'Neal said the woman "deserved better" and revealed Broad would be suspended by the club for the first three games of next season.
"We're incredibly sorry for the distress Nathan's actions have caused the young woman," O'Neal said.
The announcement came after the woman last week told police to cease their investigation into the matter.
'SHE WAS SHOCKED AND EXTREMELY CONFUSED'
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, who is representing the young woman, released a statement on Monday morning insisting the woman had not been paid off.
"There has been enormous media and public speculation about the situation in which the photograph was taken, the majority of which is not true and is unfair to our client who has done nothing wrong," the statement read.
"She has not received any money or other compensation from the player, the Richmond Football Club or the AFL.
"We can confirm that the woman knew the player prior to the 2017 Grand Final and believed there was a level of trust between them. She maintains that she insisted he delete the photo from his mobile phone as soon as it was taken, and that he assured her it had been.
"She was shocked and extremely confused when she saw the photo on social media the night after the Grand Final. She approached the player and football club for help to getting it removed from the internet, but it soon became apparent that the image had gone 'viral'.
"Her motivation for approaching police was for assistance in getting the image deleted from wherever it had been uploaded, rather than pursuing a criminal investigation into the player's conduct. The latter was never her intention.
These two photographs were widely distributed. Photo / Supplied.
"The young woman's decision not to proceed with the police investigation was motivated by her desire to protect her identity and avoid any further attention and distress. Her main focus has been protecting her privacy, welfare and dignity as she tries to come to terms with what has happened.
"The unauthorised distribution of her photograph and the subsequent attention it has received has had a devastating impact on the young woman's wellbeing. She is desperate to maintain her anonymity as she tries to get on with her life as best she can.
"For that reason, we ask the media and public to immediately cease speculating about what happened, and urge everyone to respect the young woman and her family's privacy.
"We remind everyone that any further distribution and/or publication of the image could constitute a criminal offence. Similarly, identifying the young woman exposes them to the risk of civil legal action. Our client does not wish to make any further comments."
Broad could have been charged under "sexting" laws, under which adults who send intimate images without the other person's consent face up to two years in prison.
Broad, a West Australian, was picked up by the Tigers as a mature-age recruit after a strong season with Swan Districts in the WAFL in 2015.
He played 10 games during Richmond's premiership season, forcing his way into the team in round 17 and holding his spot all the way to the grand final.
