Kane Cornes' truth bomb as Geelong CEO steps in and Bailey Smith apologises to photographer

Bailey Smith has issued an apology to a photographer he abused at a Cats training session on Wednesday after Geelong CEO Steve Hocking reportedly did the same. Alison Wynd of The Geelong Advertiser, who is well known and respected in the industry, was stationed near the boundary-line and snapping photos of Smith.

The Geelong star walked towards her and demanded the images be deleted, seemingly upset that he was being photographed while receiving treatment. One of the images was of Smith flipping the middle-finger to the camera, while he also swore at her multiple times.

The AFL is facing heat to level some sort of sanction at Smith, who has twice been fined this year for raising his middle finger during games. According to Channel 7, Hocking rang and personally apologised to Wynd after the incident.

On Thursday, the Herald Sun reported that Smith has since messaged Wynd to express “remorse for his actions and expressed his wish for the pair to be able to move forward with the unsavoury incident behind them”.

The photographer said it's the second time she's been singled out by Smith this season. Wynd recounted her interaction on Wednesday, saying Smith raged about how she was doing a "f***ing shit job". Wynd said: "It was a bit rattling. Because he came back at me the second time, I felt a bit rattled by it."

Smith, who is one of the favourites to win the Brownlow, has been among the Cats' best players in his first season at the club. The 24-year-old recently opened up about his mental health struggles in an interview at the All-Australian night, detailing how he spent four weeks in a mental health facility.

Kane Cornes calls out Bailey Smith's 'strange' reaction

While some are calling for the media to lay off, many have pointed out that Wynd was simply doing her job and had every right to be at the open session. Discussing the situation on SEN radio, Kane Cornes pointed out that Smith's whole brand relies on him being photographed.

The 24-year-old has a strong social media presence and one of the biggest fan followings in the game. “I am seat one for Bailey Smith, can I just say that. He’s absolutely one of my favourites,” Cornes said.

“But is it a little bit ironic that the most photographed man in football gets upset at having his photograph taken? He lives off endorsements, he puts photos up with his top off, he sits in front of saunas promoting them with his top off, he gets papped everywhere.

“I’m sure he’s the most selfied footballer in the history of selfies. I just find it a little bit strange that he would get upset and make a story out of that today. He’s got half a million Instagram followers, his brand is to be photographed and I think he leans into that. I’ve seen the vision, there’s nothing terrible about it, he just has a few words with a female photographer, but I think he’s out of line here today as much as I love him.”

Commentator Dwayne Russell urged the Cats to issue a full public apology. “I’m of the belief that’s out of line from what I’ve read and from the pictures I’ve seen," he said. “If you’re Bailey Smith, you’ve got to have a look at yourself in the mirror and you need to be able to treat people a bit more respectfully than this. It’s not good enough.”

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Garry Lyon's plea to Bailey Smith

On Fox Footy, Garry Lyon expressed similar sentiments. “It’s not good enough and it shouldn’t be indulged,” he said. “You can’t have it both ways Bailey... you ask for understanding, you bravely bare your soul and then you undo all your good work by belittling a photographer who is just trying to do her job. Just be better. Be a better man than that.

“I think the footy world has tried to understand and accept that no-one is perfect and you’ve got your shortcomings, as we all have. But there’s been way better players than you mate that have had to put up with more than that and been able to do it with a degree of class. We respect you, pay it back. That’s just not on.”

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