A woman who was allegedly sent explicit messages from sacked Carlton footballer Josh Bootsma has spoken out, claiming he tried to take advantage of her because of his high profile.
“Katie”, a Carlton supporter, told Channel Seven on Thursday that the 21-year-old had sent her sexually explicit photos and propositioned her for sex.
She is the second female Bootsma has been caught sending inappropriate photos to. A 15-year-old girl was involved in the first incident on social media app SnapChat. Because of her age, police have not ruled out investigating the matter.
"He started off as a sweet young guy and then slowly progressed to just wanting sex or to meet up and have fun,” the 23 year-old said.
The fan and now former player met at a training session and connected via social media.
"He asked ‘do you want to meet up for sex’, ‘I can come to your place’",” she said. When she rejected those requests, she said Bootsma started sending her photos.
She said Bootsma asked her to send “dirty” pictures of herself.
Carlton terminated the 21-year-old defender’s contract on Tuesday after he repeatedly breached the club and the league’s code of conduct.
The club's general manager of football operations, Andrew McKay, said the young player had been given numerous opportunities and support with his “disciplinary issues”.
“The Carlton Football Club has high expectations of its players and staff; we expect them to uphold certain standards,” McKay said in a statement released on Tuesday. “He has continuously not lived up to the standards expected of a senior listed AFL player.
“This latest issue has left the club with no other choice but to take this course of action,” he said.
Katie said she thought Bootsma was trying to use his profile as a rising AFL star to take advantage of her.
“I think they think because people know their name they can get away with anything.”
Katie said the experience has made her question her life-long support for the club.
Bootsma was drafted in 2012 and played 14 games for the club. He has not spoken publicly since his sacking on Tuesday.
Since Tuesday, several Facebook pages dedicated to the former player have sprung up, including the parody “Josh Bootsma Nude Selfies” account and “Josh Bootsma was Unfairly Sacked”.
