Luke Sayers compared Dan Andrews stair-fall rumour to d*** pic scandal, court hears in defamation battle

Former Carlton president Luke Sayers compared rumours he pushed Daniel Andrews down stairs to claims surrounding the d*** pic scandal, newly released Supreme Court documents have revealed.

The text message exchange emerged as part of Sayers' ongoing defamation battle with his estranged wife Cate Sayers in Victoria's Supreme Court.

Court documents released this week included a series of messages sent between the pair in January 2025, shortly after an explicit image was posted from Sayers' X account during a family trip to Italy.

In one exchange, Mr Sayers sought to reassure his wife that he had not blamed her for the publication of the image.

'Cate that is not true. Nobody I know thinks you had anything to do with it. I was hacked. I've said it repeatedly,' he wrote.

Sayers then referenced one of Victoria's most persistent political rumours.

'It's the bs I pushed Dan Andrews down the stairs ... its all crap.'

The message was released as part of evidence filed in the Supreme Court proceedings between the former AFL club president and his estranged wife.

The reference relates to conspiracy theories that circulated following Mr Andrews' serious fall at a Mornington Peninsula rental property in March 2021.

At the time, the then Victorian premier said he slipped on wet stairs while preparing to return home from a long weekend away.

Mr Andrews suffered several broken ribs and vertebrae damage and was transferred to The Alfred trauma centre after initially being treated at Peninsula Private Hospital.

Despite the official explanation, rumours later emerged suggesting the injuries were sustained elsewhere, including claims that involved Sayers. No evidence has ever been produced to support those allegations.

The text message surfaced as part of a broader dispute over who was responsible for posting the image from Sayers' social media account.

Court documents show Cate Sayers complained that public statements surrounding the incident had left people believing she was responsible.

'Everyone now thinks I posted it 'someone who has access to his account',' she wrote.

Sayers replied: 'No they don't ... I was very clear about pursuing this hack privately from this day forward.'

The court-released messages also show Sayers pleading with his wife as the fallout from the scandal intensified.

'Please Cate ... 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.'

The messages have become a key issue in the proceedings because Cate Sayers alleges they are inconsistent with claims that Sayers later made in a statutory declaration provided to the AFL Integrity Unit and Carlton Football Club.

Mrs Sayers alleges her husband wrongly identified her as the person responsible for posting the image and damaged her reputation by doing so.

She further alleges that Sayers made statements suggesting she suffered from mental illness and periodically refused medication.

Sayers denies defaming his wife and maintains he genuinely believed she was responsible for posting the image despite her denials.

The former Carlton president has also consistently denied publishing the image himself, claiming he was in the shower when it appeared online. The post was deleted approximately 15 minutes later.

The legal battle has widened to include disputes over AFL and Carlton documents, the conduct of investigations into the incident and whether the matter should remain in the Supreme Court or be transferred to the Federal Circuit and Family Court.

Justice Andrew Watson has reserved his decision on the competing applications.

The AFL previously cleared Sayers of wrongdoing following its investigation into the publication of the image.