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A former Sydney and North Melbourne player has been slapped with a ban by Racing New South Wales after he directed a tirade of abuse towards a horse trainer.
Jason Love, who has a share in the horse Sydney Bowler, arrived at Randwick on October 8 to watch the five-year-old gelding take part in the 1250m Ranvet Handicap.
The former footy player was handed an initial ban of six months, but a guilty plea and several other factors could see him serve a minimum suspension of three months.
Sydney Bowler, who is co-trained by Mr Tom Charlton and John O’Shea, placed third in the race, however, the former AFL player is alleged to have approached Mr Charlton while he was conducting a debrief with other owners.
New South Wales Stewards stated that Mr Love had addressed the trainer in an ‘aggressive manner’ and directed ‘improper, threatening and insulting language’ toward Mr Charlton in an open area which was visible and within audible range of others at the racecourse.
The Stewards' report states that Mr Love, who made a combined 68 AFL appearances for both the Swans and Kangaroos, said to Mr Charlton words to the effect of: ‘You will be next, keep smiling.’
Former AFL player Jason Love has been slapped with a hefty ban by Racing New South Wales after he abused a trainer at Randwick earlier this month. Mr Love is a co-owner of the five-year-old horse Sydney Bowler (left)
An investigation was launched by Racing New South Wales, with investigators speaking to witnesses and obtaining CCTV footage from the alleged incident.
Stewards later issued a charge of conduct detrimental to the interests of racing against Mr Love, under AR228(b), to which Mr Love pleaded guilty.
Racing New South Wales took into account multiple considerations when handing down a penalty to Mr Love, noting that he had shown ‘contrition’ and a ‘willingness to accept responsibility for his conduct’.
Stewards subsequently dropped his ban from six months down to four months before adding that should Mr Love participate in anger management counselling, Stewards could consider reducing that ban further to three months.
Mr Love has the right to appeal the sanction.
Love began playing football for Port Melbourne in the Victorian Football Association.
He’d join up with North Melbourne in 1986, where he booted 69 goals across 45 appearances for the Kangaroos.
He’d join up with the Sydney Swans in 1991 and kicked a whopping 52 goals in his first season, being named the club’s leading goal scorer for that year.
Mr Love pleaded guilty to issuing a tirade of abuse towards trainer Tom Charlton (pictured) who trains Sydney Bowler
He’d stay with the Swans until 1992 before retiring from AFL football, but he would stay in the sport, notably stepping into coaching.
In 2004, Love took charge of the North Cairns Tigers during the Cairns Grand Final. One of football’s wildest and ugliest brawls unfolded during that match, with the former North Melbourne and Sydney star subsequently being banned for eight years over the spat.
Around 50 players and coaches were involved in the melee, with an AFL Queensland tribunal slapping Mr Love with the suspension after he had been charged with bringing the game into disrepute for his part in the scrap.
Love had already been handed a three-year ban after being found guilty of three counts of striking. He served out both penalties concurrently before returning to coaching in 2012.
