UPDATE: North Melbourne says it will co-operate fully with any new investigation of misconduct by midfielder Tarryn Thomas.
Thomas was charged in January with threatening to distribute an intimate image, and was also stopped by police for allegedly driving with a suspended licence over the Christmas break.
According to News Corp, a number of other women have made complaints to the AFL that have now been referred to police.
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In a statement, Kangaroos president Sonja Hood explained that the club took the allegations seriously, but would not be taking action at this stage.
“We take any allegation of threats of violence against women extremely seriously,” she said.
“Respect of all people is fundamental to our club values.
“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.
“The advice provided by the AFL following these incidents was that Tarryn should undertake training and education to deal with his behavioural issues.”
“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,” she added.
“It’s also important to acknowledge that Tarryn is still to face a matter before the courts and as such we won’t be making any comment about that particular case.
“Subject to any further investigations, the club will await the outcome of the court proceedings before confirming our next course of action.
“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.”
In a statement to The Age, the AFL said it is monitoring the situation.
“Any allegation of threats of violence against women is unacceptable and is behaviour that the AFL takes extremely seriously,” it said.
“The AFL has worked with Victoria Police regarding North Melbourne player Tarryn Thomas and after receiving some new information put to us by the Herald Sun, the AFL reached out directly to those persons known to us.
“The AFL has offered and will continue to provide wellbeing support to any person who has come forward with an allegation.
“The AFL has investigated all formal complaints where appropriate and where there have been allegations of criminal behaviour have facilitated contact with Victoria Police who are the most appropriate body to investigate allegations of that nature.
“Tarryn Thomas is currently the subject of criminal charges over a reported incident and while that matter is yet to be finalised in court, the AFL will continue to work with NMFC and Victoria Police and will monitor the outcome of the police action.”
The 22-year-old has played 57 matches for the Kangaroos since making his debut in 2019.
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