De Goey vows to make major changes after Bali dramas

COLLINGWOOD superstar Jordan De Goey has apologised for the Bali antics which have jeopardised his career, saying he had to make changes in his life.

The troubled ballwinner has kept the club in the dark on his movements this week with coach Craig McRae revealing he was unsure why De Goey had not fronted up to training.

De Goey also dodged his coach’s message on Thursday.

But, after initially blaming the media for his troubles, De Goey filmed an apologetic one-minute club video on Friday in a bid to take full responsibility for his actions in a Bali nightclub.

Speaking for the first time since the trip, De Goey said he was “definitely sorry” for exposing a woman’s breast and making sexual gestures on camera, and admitted he had “a lot of work” to do to avoid making similar mistakes in the future.

De Goey said he was struggling with the fall-out and was “not a perfect person”.

“This week has obviously weighed pretty heavily on me and I thought I would just wait until I’ve got a clear mind to come out and apologise for my actions and my behaviours,” De Goey said. “I don’t condone that behaviour at all and I’ve got a lot of work (to do) moving forward.

“I have a lot of important women in my life and I understand you need to show respect for women at all times. I’ve got a responsibility to the wider community and I need to keep working towards that.”

De Goey remains on personal leave and will miss Sunday’s clash against GWS Giants at the MCG, when one of his closest mates at the club, Brayden Maynard, will play his 150th match.

A club statement earlier this week revealed De Goey had been diagnosed with ADHD, but the jet goal kicker said that was “no excuse for my behaviour at all”.

“I just wanted to let people know I was dealing with some stuff on the side throughout the first half of this year and also now,” he said.

“It is something I am learning a lot about and I am not a perfect person, I don’t think I ever will be. But hopefully I can make some changes so these mistakes don’t happen again.”

McRae admitted he was puzzled by De Goey’s absence from training this week.

“I don’t know. I don’t know the detail of what has caused or triggered Jordan to be in a space to not come in,” McRae said. “(Psychologist) Jacqui Louder is working really closely with him and has done for a long time. We are looking for Jordy to step in (to the club).”

McRae said he was mindful of balancing the whole interests of the club and in particular, the women, Indigenous people and others from diverse backgrounds at Collingwood.