Sayers’ text messages may contradict other account of nude photo scandal

Emotional text messages between Luke and Cate Sayers immediately after the lewd photo scandal show the former Carlton Football Club president tried to claim that no one thought his wife was responsible for posting a picture of his penis to social media.

This is allegedly at odds with what he later told the AFL and football club in January 2025 in a confidential affidavit distributed on or around January 22, 2025, which claimed Cate was behind the photo being posted to his X account, and was mentally unwell and failing to take her medication.

The Supreme Court heard earlier this month the Sayers’ conflicting accounts would be the main issue in the court battle between the estranged couple, which centres on a photograph of Luke Sayers’ penis that was posted on his X account for 13 minutes on January 8, 2025.

He was subjected to an investigation by the AFL integrity unit following the post, for which he provided a statutory declaration outlining how he claimed it had occurred.

Luke Sayers told representatives of the AFL and Carlton in that January 22, 2025 statutory declaration that Cate was responsible for the post, and that she was mentally unwell. Luke Sayers’ barrister Matt Collins, KC, told the court last week that his client “published a statutory declaration in good faith … that Ms Sayers published the X post, though she denied doing so”.

Furthermore, in documents filed to the Supreme Court about two weeks ago as part of Luke Sayers’ defence, he said he “genuinely and reasonably believed” Cate had published the “medical photograph” on X. In the documents, Sayers said the day after the explicit picture was posted online Cate had told him words to the effect of: “Let’s see how you get out of this one.”

Cate Sayers denies that she posted the photo and that she had mental illnesses she failed to take medication for. She says both claims have breached her confidentiality and damaged her public profile.

The recently revealed text messages, released by the court on Wednesday, suggest the pair had contacted each other on January 22 and 23, 2025, in the aftermath of football media announcements regarding the lewd post.

At the time, Cate Sayers was in Europe.

In them, Luke Sayers told his wife the announcements had been made public that he was leaving Carlton, and he was now making his way to Pisa, in Italy, to meet her.

Cate Sayers replied that she had received “a swuillion [sic] messages from people” in Australia about the incident and that everyone still believed she had accessed his X account and made the post.

“No they don’t … I was very clear about pursuing this hack privately from this day forward,” the husband wrote.

“No Luke – read the media. You are once again cleared – you looked after yourself well but your media people have left it on me – thanks,” Cate Sayers replied.

Upon landing in Italy, Luke Sayers told Cate his heart was breaking that she was upset, that he loved her, and that no one thought she had posted the image, telling her they must both ignore the media.

“Just got here … where can I meet you babe? Lady downstairs says you are not here?? Where r u … will come find you,” he wrote. “Sorry plane delayed. Please cate … where r u? My heart is breaking that you are so angry. I have just given up work, Carlton, realised that I f---ed up 5 years ago and made the wrong call ... want to right the wrongs. I love you.”

Cate Sayers replied: “No. I am furious with you. I need space. Find another hotel. You saved yourself and again dumped me right in it as the person who accessed your account. Read the media narrative. I am gutted and don’t think I can ever return to Australia now.”

Luke Sayers then replied that he had been hacked, telling his wife that suggesting she did it was “bullshit” and likened it to conspiracy-minded allegations that he had been involved in an injury former premier Daniel Andrews suffered in 2021 while on holiday, when the then-premier broke his back after what he said was an accident involving a set of stairs.

“I was hacked,” he wrote. “I’ve said it repeatedly. It’s like bs I pushed Dan Andrews down the stairs … its [sic] all crap. The bottom line is we are together, we are one, and we are re setting how it should have been five years ago. I love you. Pls can we meet now for a coffee to talk through.”

Earlier this month, legal representatives for Luke Sayers applied to have Cate Sayers’ defamation lawsuit moved from the Supreme Court of Victoria to a federal court, where the matter could be privately heard in the family division.

She maintains that her estranged husband’s confidential January 22, 2025 statutory declaration was sent to various people involved in or associated with the AFL in Victoria, NSW and Queensland and contained the falsehoods.

This action, she alleges, caused serious harm to her reputation from a breach of confidence and was an invasion of her privacy. She wants the case to remain in the Supreme Court, where the public and press can attend, in hopes of being “vindicated”.

In his defence, Luke Sayers admits to sending the document to the AFL’s general counsel, Stephen Meade, and barrister Christopher Townshend, KC, who was assisting the Carlton Football Club, but denies there was more widespread publication.

Court documents show subpoenas issued to Carlton Football Club and the AFL say they must provide a copy of all communications between them and Sayers that reference the explicit photograph, the X post, the statuary declaration he made, details of the investigations conducted by the AFL and football club, media statements issued and more.

A deadline of end of day May 27 was given by the court for those documents to be provided.

Justice Andrew Watson will give his decision on where the matter should be heard at a later date.

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