AFL Tells Sportsbet to Remove AI Videos of Neale, Ashcroft
The AFL has directed Sportsbet to stop using players’ images in AI-generated social media content without their permission. The gambling company removed videos…
The AFL has told Sportsbet to stop using players’ images in AI-generated content without their permission, after videos featuring Lachie Neale and Will Ashcroft appeared on the gambling company’s social media pages. The dispute tests how player image rights apply to AI-made content as Australia’s ban on athletes appearing in gambling ads is due to take effect next year.
The videos were removed from Sportsbet’s Instagram page on Tuesday afternoon, after Guardian Australia contacted the company. The AFL also told its official gambling partner to delete AI videos showing players delivering lines from films, television shows and speeches in response to real events.
One video showed Neale, a former Brisbane Lions premiership player who has joined Collingwood, mimicking a 2018 speech by US rapper Snoop Dogg. The AI-generated version said: “Last but not least, I want to thank me. I want to thank me for believing in me. I want to thank me for doing all this hard work.”
Another depicted Brisbane Lions player Will Ashcroft delivering a line from the television show Ozark: “If you want to stop me you’re going to have to fucking kill me.” Sportsbet presented it as Ashcroft’s response to Fremantle playing “Wharfie Time” in the final quarter of the 2026 AFL grand final.
The content was age-restricted and designed to lift engagement on social media and attract new audiences and customers. The episode puts a practical question about consent in front of players and their representatives: existing image-use terms may not clearly cover content created with AI.
The AFL Players’ Association (AFLPA), which represents players as a union, raised concerns with the league late last week. It argued the videos breached the collective bargaining agreement between players and the AFL, which limits how league partners can use player images.
“AI-generated player imagery is not permitted without the players’ approval,” said Alex Taverner, the AFLPA’s general manager of legal affairs.
Taverner said the association had sought the removal of the material and an end to the use of AI-generated player imagery and video without approval. He added: “Importantly, the AFL will now work with Sportsbet to remove the content.”
The 2023-2027 collective bargaining agreement permits Sportsbet to use player images and footage without individual permission in certain circumstances, subject to restrictions. It does not mention AI, leaving the current dispute to focus on whether synthetic versions of players fall within the existing terms.
The issue also intersects with federal legislation banning athletes from appearing in gambling advertisements. The new rules take effect next year. The Guardian reported that Sportsbet had also made AI content using images of Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell and former North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson.
An AFL spokesperson said the league would “continue to work closely with our partners on the use of AI content and will continue to do so as the technology evolves”. Sportsbet said it develops content to entertain fans and support engagement with sport, and that it responds to feedback from its partners.
“We’re continuing to work with the AFL on the evolving use of AI in our content, taking account of partner feedback and community expectations,” a Sportsbet spokesperson said.
Independent ACT senator David Pocock, a former professional athlete who focuses on gambling and AI, said the case pointed to a need for more regulation. He said AI-generated images of elite athletes, made without consent to promote gambling products, exposed concerns about gambling companies’ conduct and safeguards against deepfakes.
The videos were removed from Sportsbet’s Instagram page on Tuesday afternoon.
Source: theguardian.com
