AFL player offered drugs before fatality

12 Sep 2012, 6:40 pm   -   Source: AAP
Grief-stricken teammates of AFL footballer John McCarthy (L) have arrived back in Australia. (AAP)

Grief-stricken teammates of AFL footballer John McCarthy (L) have arrived back in Australia. (AAP)

AFL player John McCarthy was drinking heavily and was offered drugs before falling to his death at a Las Vegas casino, Port Adelaide's CEO says.

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AFL footballer John McCarthy was drinking heavily and offered drugs before probably jumping from the third storey of a Las Vegas casino to a palm tree and falling to an accidental death.

McCarthy died within minutes of telling a Port Adelaide teammate in Vegas he was okay and was on his way back to his hotel, about four kilometres from where his body was found.

McCarthy was with 10 other Port players on an end of season trip but became separated from his teammates at a nightclub where the sportsmen were offered drugs.

"A couple of the guys have said that the drugs were freely available in these casinos," Port Adelaide chief executive officer Keith Thomas told reporters in Adelaide on Wednesday.

" ... They said they were really mindful of it - they had been drinking - but they were surprised at the sort of stuff that was going on."

McCarthy's Port teammates returned to Adelaide earlier on Wednesday feeling guilty about what happened, Thomas said.

"I don't want the impression out there that these lads just left one of their mates to just roam around," he said.

"As soon as they became aware, they made contact with him. And unfortunately an accident happened."

Thomas declined to name the Port player telephoned by McCarthy's girlfriend in Adelaide, just moments after she'd spoken to the Victorian-born 22-year-old.

"Whilst she was concerned that he was on his own and he seemed a little bit disorientated and perhaps lost, he probably was (lost), she was comfortable with the call, she felt as if it went okay," Thomas said.

"She was, however, concerned enough because he was on his own to make contact with one of our other players to try and get him (McCarthy) back into the group.

"She did that. She made contact and that player made contact with John who suggested that he was on his way back to the hotel.

"And so at that point, the group felt as if he was okay and he's coming back."

Thomas believed McCarthy "shortly thereafter" fell nine metres to his death at the Flamingo casino and hotel complex, where his body was found about 5.40am on Sunday, Las Vegas time.

A group of Western Bulldogs AFL players were also in Las Vegas, chaperoned by club runner and Victorian policeman Stuart Bailey, believed to be the first Australian to view McCarthy's body.

"Everything is leading towards an accident at this point of time," Bailey told reporters in Las Vegas on Tuesday (Wednesday, Australian time).

Investigators believed McCarthy walked into the Flamingo casino and took a lift before arriving on a third-storey roof.

"He then walked to the edge," Bailey said.

"The evidence is suggesting that he has jumped off that wall to a palm tree, maybe been disorientated at how much the fall was, slipped and has fallen to the ground."

Port officials were awaiting clearance from the local coroner to repatriate McCarthy's body within two to three days, Thomas said.

An autopsy has been performed but toxicology results could take up to 12 weeks, after which McCarthy's family will decide whether or not to publicly release them.

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