{"id":894462,"date":"2026-09-16T20:08:36","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T20:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/894462\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T20:08:36","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T20:08:36","slug":"cate-sayers-could-still-sue-afl-after-supreme-court-settlement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/894462\/","title":{"rendered":"Cate Sayers \u2018could still sue AFL\u2019 after Supreme Court settlement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to the Code Sports Integrity Unit podcast<\/a>, where on today\u2019s show Michael Warner and Seb Costello digest the end of one of footy\u2019s most sordid episodes.<\/p>\n

Warner details his belief that Ms Sayers could still pursue the league over its handling of the investigation surrounding her ex-husband. <\/p>\n

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE OF THE INTEGRITY UNIT IN THE PLAYER ABOVE<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no way that settlement that they did on Friday, which conveniently came about a quarter of the way through the big NFL game in Melbourne, would have given any protections or releases to the AFL for their conduct in this,\u201d Warner says.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo the door would be ajar, I\u2019d imagine, if she wanted to take on the AFL. Maybe she won\u2019t, but they shouldn\u2019t be as smug as they currently are because that is something that she could still do if she wants to \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cThe documents that would have come out in this hearing, don\u2019t forget, this was settled five minutes before a hearing in the Supreme Court around the privilege, the documents that had been subpoenaed, which would have showed you the whole picture of how from start to finish the AFL helped Luke Sayers get off, OK? <\/p>\n

\u201cSo that if the fullness of those documents was to come to light you would have a damages case against the AFL, a conspiracy case against AFL. So 100 per cent. I don\u2019t think she\u2019ll have the appetite to do it, but make no mistake Cate Sayers won this battle against her husband and the AFL, and they have been left humiliated, both he and the AFL.\u201d <\/p>\n

Costello also drops a bomb that ends Gerard Whateley\u2019s record-breaking run of 12-straight AFL Coaches\u2019 Association media awards <\/a>dating back to 2014.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, football\u2019s undertaker is experiencing the end of his streak,\u201d Costello says. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no coaches\u2019 association media award this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey (the AFLCA) tell me quite reliably that they\u2019re going to focus on their core business, which is the best player and the best coach, but no best journalist or best reporter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Warner also revealed some growing unrest around remuneration at SEN\u2019s popular radio program, Fireball, hosted by Kane Cornes and David King.<\/p>\n

\"Trouble<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of money going around, and I think people think maybe too much of it\u2019s going into the boss\u2019s pocket and not into theirs,\u201d Warner says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs Kingy getting bang for his buck, and is there some unrest?\u201d <\/p>\n

The Integrity Unit focused on the lack of interest from most of the football media regarding the Sayers settlement and its ramifications on those who led the AFL\u2019s investigation into the posting of the \u201cdick pic\u201d on Luke Sayers\u2019 social media account in January last year.<\/p>\n

Warner reveals he spoke to Andy Schmulow, who gave parliamentary evidence against PwC chiefs, including Mr Sayers in the 2024 tax leaks scandal.<\/p>\n

Mr Schmulow, a banking and financial governance expert at the University of Wollongong, has questioned why Mr Sayers\u2019 now discredited statutory declaration was not referred to Victoria Police by the AFL<\/a> \u201cfirst thing on Monday morning\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cLying on a statutory declaration can attract a prison sentence of up to five years. If it is found to be true, it is a criminal offence,\u201d Mr Schmulow said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid the AFL integrity unit report this matter for investigation to Victoria Police first thing on Monday morning \u2013 and if not \u2013 why not?<\/p>\n

Mr Sayers apologised \u201cunreservedly\u201d in the Supreme Court on Friday for the hurt caused by the suggestion his ex-wife had posted an image of his penis on his social media account out of vengeance last January. <\/p>\n

Mr Schmulow said the 2009 jailing of Federal Court judge Marcus Einfeld showed the importance of being truthful when making statutory declarations.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarcus Einfeld was a Federal Court judge who lied on a stat dec over a $77 speeding fine,\u201d said Prof Schmulow.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said that his colleague was driving his car and somebody at civic compliance googled her name and found that she had dropped dead months before the fine was issued.<\/p>\n

\u201cEinfeld was sent to jail for three years. So are we now to understand that Luke Sayers is not going to be investigated?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s outrageous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked about Ms Sayers\u2019 claims that senior AFL figures had colluded with Mr Sayers and his camp to help clear him of the scandal, Prof Schmulow said: \u201cWell, I assume the title of the AFL Integrity Unit is meant to be ironic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose footy boof heads wouldn\u2019t know integrity if it slapped them in the face.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you remember when Andrew Demetriou appeared before the Bergin inquiry (into Crown casino\u2019s suitability to hold a gaming licence) and he was caught reading off a Wikipedia page what the role of an independent director was?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome back to the Code Sports Integrity Unit podcast, where on today\u2019s show Michael Warner and Seb Costello…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":894463,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[463799,463728,463735,408160,463731,463732,463724,463801,463764,45986,463774,19382,463719,463786,420599,463722,435855,463725,463757,440893,376730,463798,463723,463783,457708,638,377929,463762,463775,463785,463758,463780,64,63,55,639,151215,463782,22674,223403,32092,463767,5794,30678,463802,463751,463790,463794,463748,179608,419054,596,9116,39598,463777,61,390274,177935,393165,463736,463791,394103,463800,382300,376814,463763,463796,463752,63492,3208,5315,463759,463792,463720,2732,175563,675,259900,463787,13307,463770,385110,282297,463727,647,463776,463795,13052,187,13053,457723,463754,457722,463771,463755,411539,397038,463765,1861,463781,463733,36827,40552,463734,28389,463773,53207,463737,463789,85,7986,463756,463772,463743,463769,463744,463784,379302,463761,463740,463747,463721,463742,461514,463745,164679,463726,394233,378193,215379,384793,419293,463793,463750,463766,380885,463729,5884,380950,280721,463779,463788,379386,396192,463797,463768,390261,382295,285970,395547,377475,385421,457741,214758,463746,463741,463778,463739,463753,390244,364611,439249,463730,395118,24080,5073,398708,463738,2024,463749,42727,463760,4526],"class_list":["post-894462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-s-flagship","tag-s-flagship-show","tag-s-flagship-show-fireball","tag-s-investigation","tag-s-pocket","tag-s-popular-radio-program","tag-s-record-breaking-run","tag-s-show","tag-s-undertaker","tag-45986","tag-12-straight-afl-coaches","tag-19382","tag-a-77-speeding-fine","tag-a-banking-and-financial-governance-expert","tag-a-bomb","tag-a-conspiracy-case","tag-a-criminal-offence","tag-a-damages-case","tag-a-federal-court-judge","tag-a-hearing","tag-a-lot","tag-a-prison-sentence","tag-a-quarter","tag-a-stat-dec","tag-a-statutory-declaration","tag-afl","tag-an-image","tag-andrew-demetriou","tag-andy-schmulow","tag-any-protections-or-releases","tag-association-media-award","tag-association-media-awards","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-bang","tag-best-reporter","tag-building","tag-cate-sayers","tag-cent","tag-civic-compliance","tag-claims","tag-costello","tag-david-king-mick-warner","tag-dead-months","tag-einfeld","tag-episodes-warner-details","tag-federal-court-judge-marcus-einfeld","tag-fireball","tag-five-minutes","tag-football","tag-footy","tag-friday","tag-gangbusters","tag-gerard-whateley","tag-her-ex-husband","tag-her-husband","tag-her-name","tag-his-belief","tag-his-buck","tag-his-camp","tag-his-car-and-somebody","tag-his-colleague","tag-his-ex-wife","tag-his-penis","tag-his-social-media-account","tag-his-streak","tag-integrity","tag-interest","tag-investigation","tag-its-handling","tag-its-most-senior-figures","tag-its-ramifications","tag-jail","tag-january","tag-kane-cornes","tag-kingy","tag-last-january","tag-last-week","tag-last-year-warner","tag-latest-episode","tag-luke-sayers","tag-marcus-einfeld","tag-melbourne","tag-michael-warner","tag-michael-warner-and-seb-costello","tag-monday","tag-money","tag-morning","tag-mr-sayers","tag-mr-schmulow","tag-ms-sayers","tag-no-best-journalist","tag-no-coaches","tag-no-mistake","tag-no-way","tag-parliamentary-evidence","tag-people","tag-prof-schmulow","tag-pwc-chiefs","tag-radio-show","tag-remuneration","tag-resentment-bubbling","tag-sen","tag-senior-afl-figures","tag-social-media-account","tag-some-growing-unrest","tag-some-unrest","tag-sports","tag-start","tag-statutory-declaration","tag-statutory-declarations","tag-the-dick-pic","tag-the-dick-pic-debacle","tag-the-2009-jailing","tag-the-2024-tax-leaks-scandal-mr-schmulow","tag-the-afl","tag-the-afl-first-thing","tag-the-afl-integrity-unit","tag-the-aflca","tag-the-appetite","tag-the-best-coach","tag-the-best-player","tag-the-big-nfl-game","tag-the-boss","tag-the-code-sports-integrity-unit-podcast","tag-the-documents","tag-the-door","tag-the-end","tag-the-face","tag-the-fine","tag-the-football-media","tag-the-fullness","tag-the-hurt","tag-the-importance","tag-the-integrity-unit","tag-the-investigation","tag-the-lack","tag-the-league","tag-the-player-abovethe-integrity-unit-episode-10","tag-the-posting","tag-the-privilege","tag-the-right","tag-the-sayers-saga","tag-the-sayers-settlement","tag-the-scandal","tag-the-suggestion","tag-the-supreme-court","tag-the-surface","tag-the-title","tag-the-university","tag-the-victorian-supreme-court","tag-the-way","tag-the-whole-picture","tag-their-conduct","tag-their-core-business","tag-this-battle","tag-this-hearing","tag-this-matter","tag-this-year","tag-those-documents","tag-those-footy-boof-heads","tag-three-years","tag-today","tag-unrest","tag-up-to-five-years","tag-vengeance","tag-victoria-police","tag-victoria-police-first-thing","tag-warner","tag-watch-the-full-episode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