Jason Akermanis - Off Field Personality and Controversy

Off Field Personality and Controversy

Off the field, Akermanis is often very outspoken on issues concerning the Australian Football League and other codes.

His brash, overconfident demeanor makes him a favourite target for abuse by some supporters of other clubs, although others regard him as a colourful character and an antidote to most footballers who speak in a politically correct way. He often appears on The AFL Footy Show. He co-wrote a book with Gary Smart titled AKA – The Battle Within, which was released in 2004. He released his autobiography named Open Season in mid-2011, which further details his messy departures from both the Brisbane Lions and the Western Bulldogs.

Some of his controversies include:

• Threatening to switch codes to rugby union if the Lions signed former Kangaroos Football Club star Wayne Carey
• Revealing to the media that teammate Nigel Lappin had broken ribs before the 2003 Grand Final
• Ongoing criticism of his coach at the Brisbane Lions, Leigh Matthews and
• Claiming "an opposing player" was using performance-enhancing drugs; a comment that was linked by the media to West Coast Eagles' Michael Braun (though Akermanis never said who he was referring to), who was cleared after an investigation by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority, which led to claims that Akermanis had lied.
• Claiming Jim Stynes was "a nasty man in his day", was treated as a "demi-god", and questioned his deservedness to receive a state funeral just two days after Stynes' death.