Leadership is supposed to set the tone, guiding principles and behaviors within any organization. When those at the helm falter, the scrutiny often extends beyond just one individual.

Recently, Lachie Neale made headlines by stepping down as co-captain of the Brisbane Lions. This decision followed public accusations of infidelity from his wife, Jules. In the wake of this controversy, the club might be hoping to avoid further probing into the player culture and the off-field behaviors that could have influenced Neale’s actions.

Yet, such inquiries are unavoidable and will likely persist.

Just last week, I had a revealing conversation with a young woman who shared her experience of a night spent with a man associated with the team. Her account was undeniably concerning, shedding light on some underlying issues.

For discretion, I will not disclose when or where this encounter took place, except to clarify that it happened years ago and was not linked to the club’s notorious end-of-season trip to Las Vegas in 2023. Importantly, the man involved – who was not Neale – did not engage in any illegal activity. Nonetheless, the woman’s story paints a troubling picture of the cultural challenges within the club.

With Lachie Neale stepping down as captain of the Lions earlier this month after his wife Jules publicly accused him of infidelity, the club may be hoping no one asks more difficult questions about its problematic ‘culture’ off the field, writes Lucy Manly. (Pictured: Lachie and Jules Neale celebrate the Lions’ victory over Geelong at the MCG during last year’s AFL Grand Final)

Tess Crosley, seen celebrating her 30th birthday at a South Australian winery last weekend, is keeping her cards close to her chest after her alleged affair with Neale was exposed

The woman was holidaying with friends when she encountered the man with ties to the club on a night out at a bar where backpackers are known to gather.

The woman said the man – who I’ll refer to as Mr X – and his companions told her and her friends that they were all single, which led one of the women to sleep with Mr X.

‘The next morning, I wanted to leave, so I knocked on their door and they were both in bed,’ she said.

‘We later found out [Mr X] had a girlfriend.’

The woman explained that Mr X was encouraging his friends to sleep with whoever they could, regardless of their relationship status.

‘They had written on their whiteboard that “no one has a girlfriend this week”.’

The following night, the women ran into the same group of men, only to be ignored.

‘We did see them the next night with a new set of girls, but they didn’t want anything to do with us, so we didn’t speak to them,’ she said.

A solemn Neale fronted the press at Brighton Homes Arena on January 2

‘We went back to their hotel willingly,’ the woman added.

‘The problem I saw was that [Mr X] was cheating and showing the others that there was nothing wrong with that.’

The woman said she encouraged her friend to contact Mr X’s then-partner, but she felt like it wasn’t her place to do so, reasoning that often the ‘other woman’ gets blamed in these situations, not the cheater.

‘We let it go, but it’s bothered me since then,’ she said.

‘He encouraged women to come back and sleep with him, despite having his partner all over his socials, assuming no one would call him out.’

This encounter dates back long before Neale’s alleged affair with his wife’s former best friend Tess Crosley. While the two incidents are in no way linked, together they potentially highlight a culture at the club that tolerates infidelity.

The Brisbane Lions were contacted for comment.

The Neale saga began last month when the former Lions co-captain was accused by wife Jules of an ‘unforgivable’ betrayal.

It later emerged he had been caught by another player’s wife in a compromising position with Ms Crosley in a car. This WAG later told Jules, who ended the marriage and has since moved back to Perth with the couple’s children.

Amid mounting pressure, Neale stepped down as skipper on January 2, admitting at a press conference that he had ‘let my family down’.

Claims have since emerged that Neale’s affair with Ms Crosley had been going on for three months by the time they were rumbled.

A source who claims to have seen the pair together at Total Fusion gym in Newstead, in Brisbane’s inner north-east, said they were ‘affectionate’ and ‘not being discreet’.

Jules Neale and Tess Crosley featured heavily in each other’s social media feeds before the scandal broke

When reports emerged suggesting cracks in the Neales’ marriage and that the couple were ‘working through’ things, Jules fired back with a strongly worded statement on Instagram strongly implying an affair.

‘I want to make it very clear that I am not “working through” anything,’ she wrote on December 22.

‘I have been betrayed in the most unimaginable way. All I can do now is heal and do what’s best for my children.’

While Neale and his management have declined to answer questions about the timeline of the alleged affair, it has been denied that Neale and Ms Crosley are still in close contact.

A Mail photographer approached Ms Crosley, who is married with a child, outside a cosmetic clinic in Brisbane on January 13 – the first time she has fielded direct questions about the scandal after limiting comments on her Instagram last month.

‘Did you want to say anything about Lachie?’ she was asked while behind the wheel of her SUV, to which she replied: ‘No, I have to make an appointment.’ 

‘And you’re back home with your hubby? You’re trying to work it out?’ the snapper asked. Tess answered: ‘No comment… thank you, bye, see ya!’

Other previous attempts to reach Ms Crosley went unanswered. 

For players across the league, and professional athletes in general, Lachie Neale’s scandal is a wake-up call: the ‘boys will be boys’ days are over, and affairs and betrayals can no longer be swept under the carpet as ‘personal matters’. 

Of course, that might just be wishful thinking, as I suspect another scandal is never far away.

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