AFL coach reveals why he was HAPPY when he saw video of two of his stars being arrested in the USA
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell has explained he was happy with stars Dylan Moore and Connor Macdonald after seeing the video footage of them getting arrested in America because it proved they hadn’t hidden anything from the club.
Despite the incident occurring in November last year, vision of their arrests only emerged on Tuesday – with Mitchell now responding to the clip.
‘The most important thing is just tell us the truth. We want no surprises from here,’ he told Agenda Setters, referring to what he wanted from Moore and Macdonald when they first gave their version of events to the club.
‘To the boys’ credit, every little detail that we asked for, they absolutely 100 per cent … there’s no surprises in the vision.
‘They’re young men, they’re not going to get it right every time.’
Both Moore and Macdonald pleaded with police to ‘let them go in an Uber’ and not charge them.
Hawthorn hawks coach Sam Mitchell (pictured) has spoken out on why he’s happy with stars Dylan Moore and Connor Macdonald after their arrests in the USA
Moore is pictured after scoring a goal in the Hawks’ win over Essendon in round one this year
Connor Macdonald (pictured) and Moore have been slammed for their actions on social media
The Hawks were in Phoenix, Arizona for an off-season training camp at the time of the arrests.
In the vision, police on bicycles approach the pair after they had climbed onto a scissor lift in a car park.
Police arrest the pair after they stepped down from the scissor lift’s cage, which was about two metres in the air.
‘Officer, we are from Australia, we literally don’t know the rules around here,’ a friend of the footy stars can be heard saying.
A policeman replies: ‘Well, you probably should have learned that before you came here.’
Another friend of the footballers says: ‘It’s an excavator, what the hell. You’re not going to put him in jail for the night, are ya? Really.
‘They are just being idiots.’
After the officer pointed out that the players could have been hurt following the stunt, another friend interjected.
Dylan Moore and Connor Macdonald were arrested in the USA last November – with vision of the incident (pictured) only going public on Tuesday
Macdonald (pictured) played a starring role in Hawthorn’s win over the Bombers
The pair pleaded with cops to let them leave in an Uber when they were arrested (pictured)
‘Is there any way we can just call it a night and all go home?’ he asked, only to be met with a blunt reply: ‘No, they are going to go to jail tonight.’
Moore and Macdonald were later arrested and charged with criminal trespass.
A Scottsdale Police Department police report revealed that Moore was in possession of a small bag containing a crystalline substance and a rolled $100 bill at the time of his arrest.
Moore told police the two items weren’t his.
Prosecutors chose not to proceed with a charge of possession of drug utensils related to the items.
Both men accepted diversion offers and pleaded guilty to a charge of trespassing.
As part of the diversion deal, the footy stars are required to complete a substance abuse counselling program, pay a court fee of just under $300, and abide by the law for six months.
The pair were fined by Hawthorn and have undergone alcohol counselling.
