- Carey talked about the Jack Ginnivan trade to Hawthorn
- Was prompted to talk about his affair while with the Kangaroos
- Is now excited about the response to his comments
Wayne Carey has stunned AFL fans by referencing his infamous affair with then-teammate Anthony Stevens’ wife Kelli when discussing Jack Ginnivan’s swap with Hawthorn, but the former Kangaroos star has defended his comments.
The Wayne Carey scandal, which rocked the Australian football world, involved the infamous affair he had with Steven’s wife while playing for North Melbourne.
This led to Carey sitting out the 2002 season amid widespread controversy and damaged his relationship with the team.
The fallout from the scandal eventually resulted in him joining the Adelaide Crows.
The AFL Hall of Famer took to social media platform x to discuss the recent Jack Ginnivan trade from Collingwood to Hawthorn on the final day of the AFL trade period, with the conversation starting innocently enough.
Wayne Carey is in trouble for bringing up his infamous affair with teammate Anthony Stevens’ wife Kelli while playing for the North Melbourne Kangaroos
Carey and Stevens of the Kangaroos celebrate victory after the 1996 AFL Grand Final match between the North Melbourne Kangaroos and the Sydney Swans
Stevens and his wife Kelli in happier days before news of the affair became national news and forced Carey out of the Kangaroos
Carey argued Ginnivan should have worked harder to claim his place with the ‘Pies’ instead of leaving as Fremantle star Lachie Schulz joins Collingwood next season.
‘If your club gets a player who plays in your position? That should always be used as motivation to have the best preseason ever,” Carey wrote.
‘Difference between being good and great?? There is absolutely nothing like hard work.”
Things took a darker turn when a fan challenged Carey about his decision to move from North Melbourne to the Crows after the affair.
They replied, ‘How come you swapped clubs?’
Carey responded, “Really?”
Another said: ‘Didn’t you work hard enough?’
A third person added: “He slept with his teammate’s wife!”
To which Carey replied, “3 times.”
The original exchange where Carey appeared to brag about sleeping with his ex-teammate’s wife three times
Carey doubles down on his comments, stating that if others can bring up his past, so can he
These comments have sparked massive backlash from AFL fans, but Carey has fired back, saying his past is regularly reported and his comment was taken out of context.
“The media can constantly bring up my past with hardly any truth and I say three times that I’m funny and it causes an uproar?” he posted today.
Followers challenged Carey on his original post, saying it was always going to blow up.
“Let’s be honest: where did you think that comment was going?” someone asked.
“You ruined a football club Duck,” another replied, using Carey’s nickname from his playing days.
Carey clapped back at that comment, telling the follower to “move on.”
“Maybe not an absolute drop kick?” another suggested.
But since 23 years have passed since the affair, some followers felt Carey had every right to make light of it now.
“Turn off the comments on your tweets, you have the right to express your opinion without being constantly provoked,” one person suggested.
“Mate, it’s been 23 years. Probably no one has mirrors in their joint these days. The biggest I’ve ever seen. What’s done is done,” wrote another.