Outspoken AFL footballer Jason Akermanis says he wants proof that he leaked inside club information which his club used to justify the decision to sack him.
Speaking publicly for the first time since the Western Bulldogs announced his shock dumping, Akermanis denied he violated the club's trust.
"If they're saying that I'm leaking stuff, I'm happy for you to say that but tell me where the proof is," he told MTR Radio on Thursday, a day after he was sacked six weeks before the home-and-away season.
Bulldogs president David Smorgon had said Akermanis leaked confidential matters and several players had personal details disclosed outside of the club, which breached the club's trust.
"I mean, I'm involved in the media but I didn't realise this was Communist China or anything," Akermanis said.
"This is not government secrets."
He said it wasn't fair that other AFL players could be accused of serious crimes from rape to drug use and still be able to play while he gets sacked with no proof.
Some players were also reportedly worried about a forthcoming book Akermanis is writing, but the footballer denied the book would reveal unwanted insider secrets.
"The last thing I need is to finish football and have someone go `Geez, mate, you wrote a book and all you did was bag your mates'", he said.
He added that he thought it was ironic he was being sacked over the contents of a book that is not finished and has yet to be published.
"I've got punished for something I haven't done in the future that hasn't happened yet. Tell me how that works," he said.
Akermanis used his column in the Herald Sun newspaper on Thursday to reveal how he feels "gutted", "stripped bare" and "taken apart" after the sacking.
He revealed on radio on Thursday that he cried for over ten minutes as he cleaned out his locker for the last time.
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