DRINK-DRIVE MAGPIE: DE GOEY VOWS TO GET BACK ON RIGHT TRACK

Big penalty for bad boy Jordan

PARTY Pie Jordan De Goey has pledged to give up the booze and his mates to save his AFL career.

Collingwood chiefs yesterday came down hard on the 2014 No.5 draft pick, slapping him with an indefinite suspension and a $10,000 fine for failing a random breath test in Port Melbourne on Saturday night.

De Goey, 21, will donate another $10,000 to charity, train after hours with the club’s VFL team until the eve of the season, get a job outside the club for the next four weeks and “take on a meaningful role with a charitable organisation”.

The club said the 50-gamer would also “enlist the assistance of medical professionals to help him improve his decision making”.

“Jordan has agreed to make significant changes to his social life and associations, a pledge the club supports and will monitor ... [and he] will not drink alcohol at least until the season’s end, when this decision will be reviewed,” the Magpies said in a statement.

Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury said De Goey was “shattered” by his latest disciplinary blow-up.

“Like anyone that’s probably offended with drink driving, they’re shattered not only about the effect on the club but something serious could happen from drink driving,” Pendlebury said.

“I think it’s bigger than he might just miss an AFL game.

“You could seriously hurt someone.”

De Goey, who falls out of contract at the end of the year, went surfing with mates in Torquay on Saturday before blowing 0.095 in Port Melbourne at 8.25pm. As a P-plate driver he is required to have no alcohol in his system and he has been disqualified from driving for six months.

Magpies football boss Geoff Walsh said yesterday: “Jordan can have a long career with Collingwood if he commits himself wholly to his football but he could also have a very short career if he doesn’t.

“The club, and particularly his teammates, want to see behavioural change. They need to be able to trust him and believe in him.

“Jordan can win back the faith he has lost over a period of time and have a very good career if he honours all that he has agreed to today.

“He is telling us he wants to change. The time for talking is over.”

Pendlebury said teammates would back De Goey to turn his career around.

“We clearly know what he can do on a football field but off it is where he needs to improve and now we support him to try and get better in that regard,” he said.

Asked if he bought into comments from club great Tony Shaw that De Goey was part of a wider discipline problem at the club, Pendlebury replied: “No, I don’t.”

De Goey was suspended for three matches early last season for lying to the club after claiming a broken hand suffered in a bar fight in St Kilda was the result of an accident playing with his dog.

He was also fined $5000 and given 10 weeks of community service.

The AFL Players Association last night said it had no issue with the suite of penalties, noting the fine was in the player rules.