AFL star Jonathon Patton has sensationally walked away from the sport after a recent stint in hospital for mental health treatment .
It followed a string of women coming forward to accuse the Hawthorn forward, 27, of sending dirty messages on social media and from his phone.
Patton thanked his teammates, coaches and fans at both Hawthorn and GWS for their support, before addressing his unacceptable behaviour away from the field in recent years. I have made the difficult decision to retire from football to focus on my health, well-being, and future outside of the game, Patton said on the Hawthorn club website on Friday.
A woman who was a target of AFL star Jonathon Patton s sexting scandal says she s happy he is no longer part of the game after he announced his retirement.
Patton, a former Greater Western Sydney and Hawthorn full forward, quit the game for good on Friday following a string of knee injuries and off-field incidents that plagued his short career.
Elle Coonan, 22, told the Herald Sun she was relieved to see the 27-year-old remove himself from the AFL community. To see a man losing his job, that ll get the message through, Ms Coonan said. I m happy he won t have the same power over women and they won t see him as special. It will send a strong message to others that you can t get away with it.
New woman accuses Jonathon Patton of sending her inappropriate messages
She alleges he tried to FaceTime or bombard her with messages on several apps
The woman claims she was encouraged to come forward after others did
Elle Coonan alleged Patton bombarded her with explicit messages in 2020
Both women claim he was instigating conversations during AFL quarantine hub
He has been stood down from the Hawthorn Hawks pending an investigation
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Woman claims Jonathon Patton sent her sexually explicit photos and videos
She is one of four women who have come forward with similar allegations
The 22-year-old said he asked whether he would have to pay her for sex
She also claims he offered to fly her to Melbourne amid coronavirus lockdown
Patton has been admitted to hospital for mental health treatment on Wednesday
Elle Coonan claims she was approached by the Hawthorn ruckman back in June 2020 via her Instagram page, and said the conversation quickly turned sexual.