LATEST | North Melbourne has confirmed young gun Tarryn Thomas is now on personal leave from the club amid shocking allegations of misbehaviour towards “multiple women”.
It’s less than 24 hours since the Herald Sun ran a front-page article on damning allegations towards Thomas that left AFL commentator Kane Cornes claiming the 22-year-old should never be allowed to play in the AFL again if some of the claims against him are proven true in court.
Among those allegations are claims Thomas told a woman he wanted to beat her, throwing a lamp at a woman in a hotel and sending threatening text messages declaring “your time is coming”.
Thomas was with Kangaroos teammates at training on Wednesday morning while North president Dr Sonja Hood issued a statement declaring the club would stand by the rising star.
But just hours later, another statement was issued by North Melbourne confirming the young gun will now “take time away from the club”.
“The AFL’s integrity unit informed North Melbourne of a new allegation of inappropriate behaviour on Wednesday afternoon,” the latest statement read.
“The club and Thomas made a commitment to co-operate fully in any investigation if new information was presented.
“In light of this new information, Thomas will remain away from the club while the AFL gathers further information about the allegations.”
Describing the claims against Thomas as a “harrowing read”, Cornes said there are many questions left unanswered given North Melbourne confirmed they were “informed” of “formal allegations” against the youngster last year.
“Tarryn Thomas has already been caught driving without a licence twice, his Mercedes Benz has been impounded and he’s been fined nearly $900 by police,” he said on SEN.
“North Melbourne, well they’ve swept both offences under the rug and is still to address it.
“However those traffic charges seem insignificant when you read what Thomas is alleged to have done to multiple women.
“If 20 per cent of what is alleged turns out to be accurate, Thomas should never play in the AFL again.”
The North Melbourne young gun has been charged with a single count of threatening to distribute an intimate image, but the Herald Sun reports “multiple women” have stepped forward with damning allegations.
Cornes’ comments come just hours after North Melbourne president Dr Sonja Hood penned a letter to the club’s members and fans pledging to support the rising star.
Dr Hood described the allegations against Thomas as “serious” and “confronting”, but confirmed the club was standing by the 22-year-old while his court case is heard.
“We take any allegation of threats of violence against women extremely seriously. Respect of all people is fundamental to our club values,” she wrote.
“Should any further investigation arise from new information passed on to the AFL or the police, the club and Tarryn will co-operate fully, as we did in the wake of those initial allegations.
“It’s also important to acknowledge that Tarryn is still to face a matter before the courts.
“Subject to any further investigations, the club will await the outcome of the court proceedings before confirming our next course of action.
“Finally, I know that this issue is challenging and confronting, and the club acknowledges the impact people will be feeling across the community by reading the media today. We are committed to supporting our people through this time and I want to reiterate that our whole club understands the significance of this matter.”
Last October it was revealed Thomas was the subject of a police investigation for alleged harassing and intimidating behaviour.
In January, Victoria Police confirmed the North young gun had been officially charged.
Cornes described Hood’s statement as “weak”, after he last week labelled the club “hypocrites” for moving on Jason Horne-Francis for his perceived off-field issues, but backing in Thomas.
“North and the AFL have been aware of these allegations for some time … Shockingly it took a front-page article to emerge before addressing the matter,” Cornes lamented.
“Why did the club and AFL wait months before addressing them? Why did it only feel necessary to respond upon the story becoming public?
“Why did new captain Luke McDonald speak so glowingly of Thomas just last week, throwing his support behind him and calling him a great kid – I wonder how that made the alleged victims feel hearing that?
“Why is the club’s punishment for missing an ice bath more severe than what Thomas has been alleged?
“Why didn’t they address or sanction him for the driving charges?
“Last week I called North Melbourne hypocrites for not sanctioning and condemning the behaviour of Thomas. One week later, I stand entirely by that statement.
“It’s been a disturbing day for North fans.”
The comments come after the Herald Sun published an extensive article detailing more allegations from women provided to the AFL integrity unit.
A flurry of texts allegedly from Thomas read: “You’re a f**king joke … keep talking sh*t … sh*t going to come around soon … your turn will come … sh*t is going to go down … I’m not a n**** to be f**ked with.”
Another woman sent a text to friends last year that read: “I’m too scared … i know he’s (Thomas) gonna kill me.”
Dr Hood said Thomas was committed to an education program undertaken by the club.
“The club was aware of formal allegations made against Tarryn during 2022 that were investigated by the AFL’s Integrity Unit. Tarryn and the club co-operated fully with those investigations,” she wrote.
“The advice provided by the AFL following these incidents was that Tarryn should undertake training and education to deal with his behavioural issues.
“He has started work on this program and we’ll continue to support Tarryn as he completes this work.”
Thomas, who endured a tough 2022 campaign where injury and form restricted him to just 10 games, remains contracted at the Kangaroos until the end of 2024 on a big money deal.
The Tasmanian product has played 57 games for the Kangaroos ever since being taken with Pick 8 in the 2018 draft.
