Collingwood Football Club is in damage control this morning as Castlemaine product and star forward Jack Ginnivan returns to training, after being caught on camera taking an illicit drug in Torquay.
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The 20-year-old has admitted to using the drugs in a toilet cubicle at the un-named hotel during a day off from a Collingwood training camp on Australia Day.
His actions were caught on video by a person who has been shopping the vision to media outlets for some time.
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Ginnivan will have a ‘strike’ recorded against his name as part of the AFL’s highly-criticised illicit drugs policy, and has been handed a two-match ban by the Pies.
The ban will have a significant impact on the young player’s hip pocket, given that his wage is linked to games played.
He has been open about his mistake, telling 7 he had consumed “a few drinks” and that he couldn’t really say why he did it.
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“When I walked into the bathroom I didn’t think someone would be videoing me. It’s obviously a private place,” he said.
“I can imagine anyone else getting videoed in a bathroom would be pretty uncomfortable.”
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Media reports say the video shows Ginnivan and another man in the cubicle, with a white substance on a key.
Ginnivan has been criticised in the past after being labelled a “stager”, suggesting he plays for free kicks.
He was also forced to apologise after vision emerged of him and teammate Isaac Quaynor ‘rating’ women.
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In a statement, he said he took ownership of his actions in the latest incident.
“I understand that as an AFL player I have standards I need to meet and, on this occasion, I have fallen well short of the standards expected of me as a footballer and as a representative of Collingwood,” the statement read.
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Image: AFL Photos
(C) AAP
