Why Wayne Carey could sue Crown Casino after being kicked out for ‘bag of white powder’ – as the footy superstar reveals what he really uses the drugs for
- Former AFL legend Wayne Carey could sue Perth Crown after being sacked
- Carey met with a lawyer Wednesday to discuss Crown’s apology demands
- He reportedly believes the casino was wrong when it assumed he had illegal drugs
- Carey claims the unidentified white powder he was carrying was anti-inflammatory
AFL star Wayne Carey announced he could sue Crown Casino over the “White Powder” saga that has seen him lose his lucrative TV and radio jobs.
The former North Melbourne legend enlisted the services of Maurice Blackburn Lawyers’ Josh Bornstein on Wednesday to investigate a possible “disability discrimination claim” against the gaming giant after it was booted out of Perth Crown Casino on Thursday.
Players watched as a ziplock bag of unidentified white powder fell from Carey’s bag onto a gaming table.
Staff sounded the alarm and Carey was escorted off the premises by in-house security and banned from all Crown venues for two years.
Mr Bornstein said he was summarily thrown out on the “assuming the bag contained an illegal drug”.
“Mr Carey is being prescribed anti-inflammatory and painkilling medication to help alleviate the significant pain caused by debilitating football injuries – including a shoulder that requires replacement and a neck injury that requires three disc replacements,” the attorney said.
AFL star Wayne Carey announced he could sue Crown Casino over the “White Powder” saga that has seen him lose his lucrative TV and radio jobs
Carey was ejected from the Perth Crown Casino last Thursday after a bag of unidentified white powder fell from his pocket onto a gaming table
“We are investigating whether Crown Casino unlawfully discriminated against Mr Carey by excluding him from its premises due to a pre-existing disability.”
The matter is currently under investigation by West Australian Police.
“It wasn’t an illegal substance, it was offered for security. Security didn’t take it,” Carey told The Age.
“They just said it didn’t look good, I understood that, and we left without incident.”
Carey has resigned from Channel Seven and been “relieved from his on-air duties” at Triple M Footy in the wake of the white powder scandal.
He is expected to address the saga on Thursday while speaking at a men’s mental health event in Wagga Wagga, where his football career began.
Carey (pictured with partner Jessica Paulke) will be speaking about the white powder saga at a men’s mental health event in Wagga Wagga on Thursday
Western Australia Police Commissioner Col Blanch has criticized Crown for not reporting Carey to the police when he was thrown out of the casino.
‘We’ll make an assessment [the CCTV] But of course we’re behind from the start because we didn’t have the original complaint at the time it arose, which I would have preferred,” he told Perth radio station 6PR.
“I cannot speak directly to the decisions that were made at the time, but if a person had any suspicions that drugs were being possessed or procured or were in the possession of Crown authorities, I would have expected a call to the police, to settle this matter.
“We can still speak to witnesses, we can collect CCTV footage, we may be able to interview Wayne Carey ourselves if the investigation goes that way.
“But again… without the substance itself, it’s going to be very difficult to prove whether it’s an illegal substance or something else.”
Carey was spotted for the first time since his suspension was announced on Wednesday.
The former champion was spotted on St Kilda beach in Melbourne after taking his child to school alongside model partner Jessica Paulke.
