Police open probe into Fev complaint
Updated
Queensland Police has begun an investigation into an alleged indecent act by Brisbane Lions star Brendan Fevola.
Police on Thursday afternoon received a formal complaint about an incident which is alleged to have occurred last Saturday at the Brisbane bayside suburb of Wakerley.
A police statement said: "It is alleged that a man performed the indecent act in front of a woman."
The 29-year-old has been accused of indecently exposing himself to a woman at a community football function.
Reports claim Fevola allegedly exposed himself to the woman after luring her to his car with the promise of a free football for her children.
He has denied the allegations, but has been suspended indefinitely by the Lions after the woman's husband contacted the club about the matter.
The AFL said in a statement that Queensland Police requested that any AFL interviews be put on hold until investigating police determine the next steps in the inquiry.
The league has told Queensland Police it will cooperate fully with the police request and will not proceed until such time as the AFL is told otherwise.
Earlier on Thursday, the AFL Players' Association (AFLPA) said Fevola needed to be given the chance to prove his innocence.
General manager of player relations at the AFLPA, Ian Prendergast, says the accusations against Fevola are still unclear and should be treated as such.
A statement from Fevola's management said that while the details of the complaint have not been provided to the forward, he would "cooperate fully with any investigation that is determined to be necessary by Queensland Police or the AFL".
AFL operations manager Adrian Anderson would not be drawn on the severity of a possible Fevola punishment on Wednesday night, and said the league's own probe would only move forward after being given information by Queensland Police.
Lions chairman Angus Johnson also said the club was taking the allegations very seriously and it is "more than just a football matter".
Fevola was accused earlier this year of circulating to AFL players a nude photograph taken on a mobile phone of model Lara Bingle.
He escaped any punishment - the AFL citing a lack of evidence.
He was sacked by the Blues after his drunken antics at the 2009 Brownlow Medal ceremony.
- ABC/AAP
Topics: australian-football-league, sport, brisbane-4000, australia, qld, vic, carlton-3053
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