The AFL investigated the Sayers pic but not the Melbourne meeting. Why?

June 23, 2026 — 7:42pm

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Sachi Dade’s lawsuit against the Melbourne Football Club and two of its senior staff raises several questions, but one looms larger than the rest.

Why didn’t the AFL investigate?

Dade, the partner of retired premiership defender Steven May, is suing the Demons, coach Steven King and football boss Alan Richardson for allegedly breaching her privacy.

She says in court documents she raised her concerns about the now-infamous Microsoft Teams meeting of Melbourne players’ partners with “MFC the AFL Players Association and the AFL (including the AFL Integrity Unit). The responses by the MFC and the AFL were slow and the concerns and complaints were not resolved”.

The Demons have apologised for the February meeting at which private information relating to May and Dade was allegedly shared.

Yet despite the club acknowledging mistakes were made, the AFL Integrity Unit did not launch a formal investigation.

A senior source familiar with the case, speaking anonymously because the matter is now before the court, suggested to this masthead that Dade didn’t demand league intervention, but was adamant she wanted the AFL to facilitate a meeting between her and Melbourne to address her concerns.That meeting ultimately never happened.

In an era where the AFL investigates everything from betting breaches to social media conduct, the decision not to launch an investigation stands out as peculiar.

At its........

© The Age