A former Brownlow-winning AFL player has warned Geelong controversy-magnet Bailey Smith that he risks throwing his career in the bin if he doesn’t straighten up.
Smith was close to buy of the season for the Cats, who took a chance on the former Western Bulldogs star who had just endured an ACL tear and a cocaine scandal that threatened to derail his career before it really took off.
He helped steer Geelong to the AFL Grand Final against the Brisbane Lions and was runner-up at the club’s best and fairest awards, but he also still continued to make headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Early in the year, he was told by the AFL that he couldn’t wear a Nike sweatband in a pre-season game because it breached uniform branding rules.
Soon after, he made news again when he flipped off a spectator who was taunting Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield after a match.
His clashes with the media also escalated when he confronted veteran photographer Alison Wynd at training, swearing at her and demanding she delete photos of him receiving treatment.
Bailey Smith came under fire for this Mad Monday image with Patrick Dangerfield that was labelled homophobic
Smith was also involved in this controversial image taking a shot at veteran journalist Caroline Wilson
It caps off a year of controversy for the Cats recruit, who has been brilliant on the field but highly scrutinised off it
This was reported as the second time he had targeted the same photographer in one season.
Around the same time, he posted a social media joke that appeared to reference illicit drug use, which was later deleted and led to a meeting with AFL officials.
In the finals build-up, Smith again lashed out at Wynd, and his eventual apology by text message was criticised as weak and insincere.
After Geelong’s Grand Final defeat, the club’s Mad Monday celebrations drew heavy backlash when photos and captions referencing Brokeback Mountain were shared, prompting accusations of homophobia.
The fallout continued when former players and commentators called the celebrations unacceptable, leading the club to cancel Mad Monday in its current form.
Adam Cooney was a star midfielder for the Western Bulldogs from 2004 to 2014 and finished his AFL career with Essendon in 2016.
He played 250 games, kicked 202 goals, and won the 2008 Brownlow Medal, the first No.1 draft pick ever to achieve the honour.
His larrikin nature and outspoken attitude both during and after his playing days sometimes made him a target, and he said Smith needed to straighten up = especially after the Mad Monday image that many branded homophobic.
‘I think Geelong did the right thing [cancelling Mad Monday],’ Cooney told SEN.
Bailey Smith joined the Cats after an ACL injury and a cocaine scandal at the Western Bulldogs
Former Brownlow medal-winner Adam Cooney has warned Smith that he could end up on the scrapheap if the controversies keep stacking up
‘I think Bailey Smith overstepped the mark with the comments that were deemed to be homophobic.
‘I think that was a tipping point again for Geelong.
‘Bailey Smith has got to be careful. If he doesn’t pull his head in, in 12 months’ time he’s not going to be at Geelong.
‘We’ll be talking about Bailey Smith in the trade period in 2026 because he is so high profile, so even the smallest thing [could be a tipping point].’
Smith has proven to be one of the highest profile players in the AFL, with a string of endorsement deals and a whirlwind romance with prominent fitness influencer Tammy Hembrow.
Cooney said that profile amplified his controversies, comparing him to other Geelong players who had escaped the same levels of scrutiny.
‘Tyson Stengle has had a couple of faux pas out the front of Geelong nightclubs,’ Cooney said.
‘He’s of a lower profile so that gets swept under the rug a bit. It’s in the news for a day.
‘Everything Bailey does is magnified by a hundred. He’s getting just a little bit too big for his boots at the moment.
‘Some of the comments that he’s been making, even walking into Mad Monday saying ‘I haven’t sunk p*** for a couple of days, I’m ready to go get in to it’.
‘Like, he wouldn’t have said that four years ago.
‘He just needs to temper it a little bit because [coach] Chris Scott gives his players an amazing amount of freedom, independence and responsibility.
‘But if you don’t do the right thing by him, you’re gone.
‘I just don’t want to see it go pear-shaped.’
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