De Goey played his junior football with the Ashburton United Junior Football Club in the Yarra Junior Football League.[1][2] He later played with Oakleigh Chargers in the TAC Cup, under the captaincy of Darcy Moore, who was drafted to Collingwood in the same year as him.[3] In the 2013 TAC Cup season, he played only four games,[4] but later starred in the 2014 TAC Cup Grand Final, kicking three goals to help Oakleigh Chargers claim the premiership.[5] De Goey also represented Vic Metro in the 2014 AFL Under 18 Championships.[6]
AFL career
As Collingwood's first pick of the draft, De Goey played his first season with the guernsey number 35
De Goey was drafted by Collingwood with the 5th overall selection of the 2014 national draft. As Collingwood's first pick, he was assigned the number 35 guernsey for his first season.[7] He made his debut in the opening round of the 2015 season against Brisbane Lions at The Gabba, being the 20th player to make their senior debut under the coaching of Nathan Buckley.[8] He received a Rising Star nomination in round 20 after collecting 18 disposals, 12 tackles and kicking a goal in a 21-point defeat against Sydney at the Sydney Cricket Ground.[9] De Goey had a break out 2018 season, raising comparisons with Dustin Martin.[10][11] He started the season after returning from a club-imposed suspension, and he returned via the Victorian Football League (VFL), collecting 24 disposals and kicking 4 goals against the Northern Blues.[12][13] During the season, De Goey re-signed with Collingwood for another two years, turning down multi-year, multi-million contract offers from North Melbourne and St Kilda.[14] In the preliminary final against Richmond, he kicked four goals, including the first one, and was named among the best players.[15] He also kicked three goals and was named among the best players in Collingwood's loss to West Coast in the Grand Final.[16] After the season he was selected by the AFL Players Association for the 22 Under 22 team[17] and won the Gordon Coventry Award as Collingwood's leading goalkicker after kicking 48 goals during the season.[13][18] In 2023, De Goey was named in the initial All-Australian squad of 44 for the second time.[19]
At the beginning of the 2017 season, De Goey broke his hand during an incident in a bar in St Kilda. Initially he lied to the club, telling them he injured it while playing with his dog and after admitting to his lie was suspended for three matches, fined $5,000, and given 10 weeks of community service.[22]
In February 2018, he was suspended by Collingwood after being caught drunk driving. He was fined $10,000 and required to pay a further $10,000 to charity, during which time he worked for a month as a tradesman and with the Salvation Army.[23]
In July 2020, De Goey and another man were charged by Victoria Police with indecent assault, stemming from an incident that was alleged to have taken place with a woman in 2015.[24] The matter had been investigated by the Police and the AFL's Integrity Unit in 2018, and no charges were laid following those investigations.[24] In response, Collingwood confirmed De Goey could continue playing for the club whilst the matter proceeded in the courts.[24] In August 2021, minutes prior to the commencement of a directions hearing into the matter was due to be heard at the Melbourne Magistrates Court, prosecutors withdrew the charge laid against both men and agreed to pay De Goey's legal costs. De Goey released a statement shortly thereafter stating, "I have maintained my innocence from the outset...[and] am very pleased that the matter has now come to an end."[25][26]
In October 2021, De Goey was arrested at a night club in New York City and charged with forcible touching of a 35-year-old woman and the assault of a 37-year-old man.[27] He was stood down indefinitely by Collingwood and pleaded not guilty to the charges, along with another Australian man who was charged.
A couple of days later, the prosecutors dropped the charge of forcible touching.[28] In January 2022, he was offered a plea bargain to downgrade the remaining assault charge to second-degree harassment. Collingwood reinstated De Goey into their AFL program following the plea, allowing him to play under their condition that he permanently works part-time at the Salvation Army.[29]
In June 2022, footage of De Goey mimicking a sexual act making crude tongue gestures while partying in a Bali night club emerged. In another part of the footage, an undisclosed figure attempted to reveal a woman's breast as she lay on the bar.[30] Some media articles wrote that De Goey is attempting to expose the woman's breast in the video, but it is unclear as the face and body are not shown.[31][32] De Goey lashed out at what he claimed was a "relentless pursuit of athletes by the media" and said that "this will end in tragedy if no one speaks up".[33] Remy Jackson, the woman filmed with De Goey, defended him on Instagram, posting: "I can't believe the backlash towards Jordy and myself over here in Bali … nothing to see here."[34] Following the incident, Collingwood withdrew the two-year contract (with a trigger for two further years) that they had offered De Goey.[35] He then apologised for his conduct and was given a suspended $25,000 fine by the club.[36]
^The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
