All-Australian star Steven May has apologised after he was handed a club-imposed one-match ban after a “scuffle” with Melbourne teammate Jake Melksham and drinking while under the AFL’s concussion protocols.
But the owner of the restaurant where the incident took place, Entrecote, has lashed out at the club and gun defender, calling for an apology to them as well.
The Demons on Tuesday released a statement confirming May and Melksham were involved in an altercation at around 9pm on Sunday following dinner with several teammates at the Prahran restaurant.
The Herald Sun reported May told Melksham: “If you had have played in the granny (grand final) we would have lost.”
“It is claimed that Melksham then “floored” 190cm May with one punch in retaliation,” the report added.
Melksham was an emergency for the Grand Final, which Melbourne won by 74 points.
Entrecote has claimed Melbourne teammates Steven May and Jake Melksham broke the venue’s reception desk during their altercation on Sunday night.
Contacted by Foxfooty.com.au, Entrecote’s official Instagram account replied the incident was “far from a scuffle”, taking aim at the “weak apology” of the Dees that amounted to a ‘boys will be boys” excuse.
“BUT STILL NO APOLOGY TO MY STAFF OR THE RESTAURANT... disgraceful effort @stevenmay @melbournefc,” a post on the eaterie’s Instagram story read.
The page later shared a post which read “Thanks for your lukewarm apology that is tantamount to ‘boys will be boys’.”
In a video on the club website, May expressed remorse for his actions.
“Just extremely disappointed. I know I’ve let a lot of people down, especially myself and the footy club, through uncharacteristic actions,” he said.
“I’ve done a lot of work to try and build respect and trust at the footy club, and I’m disappointed these actions don’t reflect that.
“Just a bad mistake, a bad error of judgement, unfortunately has consequences.”
May said “it’s all about actions and what I do going forward” and that he was “really apologetic” to Dees fans.
Of Melksham, May said the pair remained close despite the altercation.
“We’re really good mates, we have a lot of love for each other. Sometimes guys can get a little bit competitive with the banter and go a little bit overboard,” he said.
“We certainly made an error of judgement in that time.
“We certainly didn’t mean for any of this to come back on the footy club.
“We’ve told our teammates we’re all fine – don’t feel like you have to pick sides or anything because we’re still good friends.
“It was just a silly decision that we made and deeply regret already.”
Demons football boss Alan Richardson said the “scuffle” took place after a “lighthearted disagreement between the pair escalated”.
Richardson said Melksham and May were drinking at the dinner — and the latter was aware that, under Melbourne’s club guidelines, “he should not have been drinking” while under the AFL’s concussion protocols.
May will now be unavailable for his club’s blockbuster Queen’s Birthday clash against Collingwood after accepting a Demons leadership group-driven decision to suspend him for one game.
He and Melksham will also complete community service through one of the club’s community partners to ensure, according to Richardson, they “understand the responsibility and impact they have as role models within the community”.
Richardson said the club was incredibly disappointed by the incident, with both players “incredibly remorseful that things played out the way they did”.
“Over the past three years, Steven has developed into one of our most important on-field leaders, and while the impact of not having him available for selection is significant, what is more significant to us is our culture and the commitment we have to live by our values,” Richardson said.
“Steven is extremely remorseful and accepts his actions were completely out of step with the expectations the club and his teammates have of him. He accepts the sanction handed down and makes no excuse for his poor judgment.
“We are proud of the culture we have built over the past few years and while we are disappointed with Steven’s behaviour, we back in his character and will support him to ensure he is armed to make better decisions for himself and the football club moving forward.”
It comes after foxfooty.com.au reported two years ago that May had apologised to Melbourne teammates after drinking while injured.
May is regarded as one of the best key defenders in the competition after making the All-Australian team in Melbourne’s 2021 premiership season. The 30-year-old has played 182 games since debuting in 2011.
Melksham, 30, has played 198 games for the Bombers and Demons.
