Inside story: Alcohol-fuelled incident that forced Pies staffer to quit

• The football department staffer has resigned
• The incident occurred on a pre-season camp
• The staffer was intoxicated
• Collingwood has responded

The Collingwood staff member embroiled in an alcohol-fuelled pre-season camp incident has been named as the club's rehabilitation manager Dean Filopoulos.

The incident, which happened at the club's Northern Territory community camp in recent weeks, led to Filopoulos resigning from his position at the club.

Filopoulos was named by News Corp in a report which claims he performed a lap dance on a member of the clubs AFLW team while under the influence of alcohol.

SEN's Tom Morris broke the story on Thursday morning, reporting that a male football department member had acted inappropriately on the final night of the trip in Alice Springs.

Morris said Magpies footy boss Charlie Gardiner addressed the incident to the club’s AFL program earlier this week.

“A Collingwood staff member has resigned following an incident on a community camp in the Northern Territory, which prompted an internal investigation,” Morris posted on X.

“The male football department staffer was intoxicated and acted inappropriately on the final night of the trip in Alice Springs.

“The camp was attended by all first year Collingwood players in the male and female program, plus several staff and some board members who joined for small parts of the trip.

“It’s understood Collingwood’s footy boss Charlie Gardiner addressed the employee’s misconduct and departure in broad terms to the AFL program on Tuesday morning.

“He made it clear what took place was not acceptable.

“Welfare and support have been provided to anyone involved in the incident.”

In a statement, a Magpies spokesperson said: “Collingwood can confirm that an incident occurred during recent interstate travel that required an investigation by the club.

“As soon as the club became aware of the incident, it moved quickly to address the matter and during this process, the employee involved tendered their resignation, which the club accepted. 

“Our focus remains on supporting all team members and ensuring our environments remain professional and consistent with the values we stand for.” 

The club’s AFLW and AFL Instagram account collaborated on three posts across the week-long camp, which highlighted the benefits of the “cultural immersion program.” 

“Part of our induction for new players, the cultural immersion program focuses on fostering meaningful connection, deepening understanding and working Side by Side with the local community,” one post read.