Former Demon Daniel Hayes accused assistant coach of rape

Our next story may distress some viewers. A former Melbourne Demons rookie is suing the AFL and a former employee claiming in a Victorian Supreme Court writ that he was raped as a 17-year-old in 2005 by his assistant coach at the eastern ranges Mark Heaney. A standout junior Daniel Hayes was drafted by the Demons the following year but never played a game after being cut from the club's list for repeatedly missing training. The writ, which was lodged this week, details his spiral into drug and alcohol abuse and his mental health struggles in the years since his AFL dream ended.