Collingwood stars Steele Sidebottom and Lynden Dunn under investigation for COVID-19 breach

Collingwood players Steele Sidebottom and Lynden Dunn are under investigation for allegedly breaching the AFLs coronavirus protocols by visiting teammate Jeremy Howes house on Saturday.Magpies superstar Sidebottom and veteran defender Dunn reportedly broke the competition’s COVID-19 protocols on three occasions following the round four loss to the Greater Western Sydney Giants in Sydney.
Collingwood Football Club released a statement on Tuesday evening confirming the pair were under investigation.
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“Collingwood can confirm that players Steele Sidebottom and Lynden Dunn are under investigation for breaches of the AFL’s return to play protocols,” the statement read.
“Sidebottom and Dunn shared an Uber on Saturday evening and Sidebottom later visited a member of staff who is not living under the game’s protocols.
“The breaches were reported to the AFL on Sunday afternoon. The players were interviewed by the AFL yesterday.
“Sidebottom and Dunn will not be permitted to return to the Holden Centre until cleared to do so by COVID-19 testing.”
AFL.com confirmed Collingwood self-reported the breaches on Sunday afternoon, and interviews were conducted on Monday.
“(Sidebottom and Dunn) spent part of Saturday night drinking with teammate Jeremy Howe,” AFL.com revealed.
“AFL.com.au understands Sidebottom and Dunn left Howe’s house and travelled together in an Uber – which is not allowed under the protocols – to Dunn’s home.”
Howe will undergo knee surgery after suffering a horrific injury during Friday’s two-point loss to the Giants, potentially ending his season.
AFL.com also revealed Sidebottom then went to the home of part-time Collingwood employee Daniel Wells, who is not among the approved staff members players can be in contact with.
Herald Sun reporter Mark Robinson had “no sympathy” for Sidebottom, condemning the Collingwood co-vice captain for blatantly ignoring the COVID-19 restrictions.
“They shouldn’t have done that,” Robinson said on Fox Footy’s AFL 360.
“Steele Sidebottom has potentially put in jeopardy this $500 million season that we’re having. They’ve been lectured and lectured and lectured.
“Steele Sidebottom has put a threat on this game, and he’s put a threat on people’s livelihoods because he wanted to have a few beers, it looks like, with Daniel Wells.
“I want to have sympathy for him right now, but … I’ve got no sympathy if he’s going to have beers with Wells, which he’s not allowed to do.
“Gillon McLachlan will be furious, and there’s no dancing around this. He will be furious.
“We have Steele Sidebottom, a senior person, a mature adult, doing something that I can’t believe he would possibly say, ‘I didn’t know I couldn’t do (that)’. I can’t accept that.
“I hope Steele gets up tomorrow and addresses the community.”
Coincidentally, Robinson had previously blasted “selfish” Victorians on Monday evening as the number of coronavirus cases skyrocketed in the state.
“I’m really angry with the people who are being really selfish in Victoria at the moment,” Robinson said on AFL 360.
“We work in football, that’s our jobs, but the spread of positive tests they are a) threatening lives, but b) they are threatening people’s jobs.
“There’s so many industries trying to get started again and we’ve got these bloody people who think they can do whatever they like and we’ve got these positive tests and spreading this virus.
“It’s threatening to hurt people, don’t worry about killing them, it’s threatening to hurt with families losing their jobs again.”
Sidebottom was an All-Australian in 2018 and has been Collingwood’s co-vice captain since 2015. he has played 238 AFL games since his debut with the Pies in 2009.
After a 12-year stint with the Melbourne Demons, Dunn signed with Collingwood in 2017, and has represented the Pies on 31 occasions.
Port Adelaide midfielder Ollie Wines, Melbourne’s Charlie Spargo and Kysaiah Pickett, and Essendon’s Brandon Zerk-Thatcher and Conor McKenna previously copped one-week suspensions after breaking the AFL’s strict COVID-19 protocols.
If found guilty of the breaches, Sidebottom and Dunn would almost certainly receive one-match suspensions as well.
The Magpies are scheduled to take on the Essendon Bombers on Friday night at the MCG.