Speaking  in front of a media conference held this morning at Linen House Oval, Nick Riewoldt made the following statement;

"Given the events of the last 24 hours, I thought it necessary to issue a statement in order to set the record straight and to emphasise my disappointment at the publishing of a photograph of me on Facebook.

For the record, I have never met the person that published the photograph on Facebook or who owns the Facebook site.

That a person I have no association with has sought to impugn me is the cause of great distress to myself, my girlfriend, my family and my friends.

I have worked incredibly hard at my profession and across the community in general to build a standing of which I am most proud.

As a professional AFL footballer, I pride myself on the role that I undertake at the St Kilda Football Club as its Captain and the personal satisfaction I have gained by dedicating myself to this great sport for in excess of 10 years at the highest level.
Given that I have had absolutely no association with this person at any point in my life, I am at a loss to understand what their motivation could possibly be.

These photographs were private photographs and we believe they have been obtained without any knowledge or consent.

The photo that has been published was taken when I was travelling over 12 months ago by one of my teammates. In fact, I was unaware of its existence until most recently. I repeat at no point in time have I had any association with the person that is responsible for obtaining my photograph and posting it on Facebook.

I would ask that person to respect my privacy and desist in further posting the photograph on any social media channels."