Text messages filed to the Victorian Supreme Court reveal Luke Sayers making emotional pleas to his estranged wife Cate during the ‘d*** pic’ scandal that led to him stepping down as president of the Carlton Football Club.
Cate Sayers has launched defamation action against her estranged husband after the explosive social media ‘d**k pic’ scandal that rocked the AFL in early 2025.
Mrs Sayers is alleging Mr Sayers falsely implied she was responsible for posting an explicit image from his X account during last year’s scandal.
She has also accused him of invading her privacy, and alleged that he falsely implied she was behind the publication of the explicit photo, according to court documents.
Luke Sayers claimed hackers compromised his account before resigning as Carlton president shortly after the AFL cleared him of wrongdoing following an integrity unit investigation.
The text messages contained in an affidavit filed to the court feature an exchange between the couple on January 22 last year, when they were in Europe.
Ex-Carlton boss Luke Sayers’ estranged wife Cate (pictured) told him ‘I don’t think I can ever return to Australia’ in the wake of the publication of an explicit image on his X account
Text messages filed to the Victorian Supreme Court show Luke Sayers (pictured) repeatedly telling Cate he loved her after she lashed out at him for allegedly falsely implied she was behind the publication of the photo
That was the day the AFL and Carlton cleared him of involvement in the publication of the photo.
‘Wondered why I just received a swuillion messages from people in oz,’ Mrs Sayers wrote.
‘Read the media … You are once again cleared – you looked after yourself well but your media people have left it on me – thanks.’
‘Babe no no no … it couldn’t have been clearer in the statement,’ Mr Sayers replied.
‘Ffs read the statement. No. You didn’t say a hacker or an unrelated person to you had access. The world thinks I posted it. Thanks,’ Mrs Sayers wrote.
The Sayers then argued over his use of the term ‘unauthorised’ to describe the post featuring the photo in the statement he made when he stepped aside from Carlton, with Luke saying it referred to a hacker, while Cate rejected that take, saying, ‘A hacker is a criminal you file a police report against.’
Mr Sayers then made an emotional plea.
‘I have tried to call you. I love you,’ he wrote.
Mrs Sayers has launched defamation action against the former Carlton president (pictured together)
When Mr Sayers asked to meet Cate (pictured) at a hotel in London just after he stepped down from his Carlton job, she replied, ‘No. I am furious with you. I need space. Find another hotel’
‘It breaks my heart how you are feeling. Nobody we know thinks in any way you did it, that’s all that matters.
‘We must both ignore the media and restart as if it’s 2020. We are no longer in the public eye babe.’
Mr Sayers then asked to meet Cate at a hotel in London.
‘No. I am furious with you. I need space. Find another hotel,’ she said.
‘Please cate….where r u? My heart is breaking that you are so angry,’ Mr Sayers wrote.
‘I have just given up work, Carlton, realised that I f***ed up 5 years ago and made the wrong call….want to right the wrongs. I love you.’
‘You saved yourself and again dumped me right in it as the person who accessed your account,’ Mrs Sayers texted.
‘Read the media narrative. I am gutted and don’t think I can ever return to Australia now. But you can! So well done you And your team of supporters making sure you’re ok.’
‘Cate that is not true. Nobody I know thinks you had anything to do with it. I was hacked. I’ve said it repeatedly,’ Mr Sayers said.
‘Its all crap. The bottom line is we are together, we are one, and we are re setting how it should have been five years ago. I love you.’
Mrs Sayers (pictured centre) alleged that Mr Sayers ‘dumped me right in it as the person who accessed your account’
Mr Sayers (pictured with his daughters) was cleared of involvement by the AFL integrity unit
Mrs Sayers accused him of ‘not being completely honest with me or with yourself’ and said she would only meet him if he was prepared to be 100 per cent truthful, to which Mr Sayers agreed.
On May 18, the Victorian Supreme Court heard that Mr Sayers wants the case switched to the Family Court, which would hugely curtail reporting on the matter.
The court was told both parties would likely face intense cross-examination if the matter proceeds to trial, with the credibility of each expected to become a major battleground.
Mrs Sayers has sought court orders compelling the AFL and Carlton to hand over internal communications related to the scandal over the publication of the image.
That could force senior league officials, club figures and advisers to produce emails, messages and internal documents linked to the fallout from the explicit image that briefly appeared on Luke Sayers’ X account during a family trip to Italy in January last year.
The image, which tagged a female executive connected to major Carlton sponsor Bupa, was removed within minutes before Sayers publicly claimed his account had been hacked.
Court documents reveal Cate Sayers is now seeking access to communications between AFL executives, Carlton officials and members of Luke Sayers’ inner circle as she attempts to prove the league’s integrity investigation was compromised from the outset.
