“Due to a lack of corroborative evidence, the allegations are unable to be substantiated and therefore no further action can be taken,” the AFL statement said.
The Riddell league said in a statement published on its website on February 6 that the message was a “falsified, photoshopped and doctored image” and said they would “begin the legal process of proceeding with defamation cases against those parties responsible for publishing these doctored images …”
In response to questions from this masthead on Tuesday a Riddell spokesperson said the league and its president “fully cooperated with the AFL Integrity Review throughout the entire process”.
When asked if Knott had agreed to hand over his phone as part of the investigation, the league said: “The RDFNL President was not asked to supply his phone once there was a lack of cooperation from the other party,” they said in a statement.
When asked if Knott and Riddell would pursue defamation action, the league did not offer a response.
A spokesperson from the Wedge-Tailed Eagles declined to comment “in accordance with our affiliation agreement with AFL Victoria”.
In a separate incident, also last month, Riddell’s vice-president Andrew Power stepped down after The Age sent the league a series of questions about comments Power had left on the Instagram page of the women’s club.
This masthead has seen screenshots of Power’s now-hidden Instagram comments, which include vulgar comments and jokes about being bisexual.
Kyneton Women’s Football Club was accepted into the Central Victorian League after 12 months in limbo and extensive negotiations with the AFL.
They are allowed to play in the Central Victorian League on the proviso they drop “Kyneton” from their name, not use the Kyneton Showgrounds, and compete as the Wedge-Tailed Eagles.
