Top Aussie Olympics official is sacked after punching a woman in the head eight times during drinking session: ‘She thought she was going to die’

Former professional basketball player Danny Morseu has been dismissed from his role with the Australian Olympic Committee after being found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm for repeatedly punching a woman in the head.

Morseu – who was inducted into the NBL Hall of Fame in 2002 and became the first Torres Strait Islander to represent Australia at the Olympics in 1980 – was convicted but tried to keep the charges secret.

Last week, Morseu, 66, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for the crime, suspended after four months.

He pleaded not guilty at Cairns District Court.

Judge Dean Morzone said Morseu’s offending was out of character but the victim would suffer lasting damage as a result of the ‘sustained attack’, which saw her hit eight times in the head during a drinking session in June 2022.

The two-time Olympian and NBL Hall of Fame star was found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm after repeatedly punching a woman in the head

“It was unprovoked and you were much more physically powerful than she was,” he said.

“You have suffered significant reputational damage and a deep fall from grace as a result of this offence.”

Crown prosecutor Tim Watkins told the court the victim ‘thought she was going to die’ after the brutal attack.

Morseu was found not guilty by a jury of further charges, including common assault and deprivation of liberty.

On May 20, the AOC confirmed it had ‘removed’ the former Olympic basketball player as deputy chair of the Indigenous Advisory Committee, with Paris 2024 chef de mission Anna Meares labeling the development a ‘real shock’.

“This is a very serious offense – a criminal offence,” she told police Sydney Morning Herald.

“Abuse against anyone, and abuse against women, will simply not be tolerated. And as soon as the AOC was notified, Danny was removed from his position on the Indigenous Advisory Committee as a result.

‘She [the AOC] were not informed until these charges went to trial. It’s a shock. It’s a real shock. And a disappointment of course.’

Morseu was sentenced to 18 months in prison for the offence, suspended for four months, when his case was heard at the Cairns District Court.

Chef de mission Anna Meares (pictured left) at Paris 2024 called the development a ‘real shock’

Kyle Vander-Kuyp, a member of the AOC’s Indigenous Advisory Committee, was also dismayed by Morseu’s violation.

‘We had no idea. [I’ve] I have worked with Danny on the advisory committee for the past four years and have accomplished many great things,” said the champion hurdler.

“I’m still processing what happened… All I have to do is watch the news – domestic violence in Indigenous communities is not good. It needs to be addressed. And it’s not just about the indigenous population, it’s violence against anyone. Violence against women.

“You have to put an end to it, do something about it.”

Morseu represented Australia at the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games and won three NBL titles with the St Kilda Saints and Brisbane Bullets.