AFL Richmond aware of Prestia pub crawl photo

This photo of Dion Prestia has gone viral.

The AFL is refusing to confirm whether Richmond star Dion Prestia is under investigation over a photo that shows him without a mask and with a group that appears to be participating in a “pub crawl” on Saturday.

A photo posted by Instagram user “daphfourny” went viral on Monday. The photo features Prestia, with his mask below his chin, posing with several others holding small bottles of whiskey. The photo is accompanied by a caption reading “crawling from pub to pub”.

A source close to the situation said Prestia was not an active participant in the crawl and that he had gone to get a takeaway meal before heading home.

The Tigers and league are aware of the photo but would not comment as of mid-afternoon on Monday.

AFL players in Melbourne are under restrictions that extend even beyond the state’s lockdown laws, but it is unclear whether Prestia â€" who a source close to the situation said lived nearby where the photo was taken â€" had breached any of the league’s rules.

A “pub crawl” in Richmond on Saturday was investigated by Victoria Police but no charges were laid as it technically complied with the lockdown laws. The Victorian government on Monday announced the extension of the state’s lockdown until next month and reintroduced a curfew, in part as a response to several incidents in which Victorians were not treating the state’s COVID-19 situation seriously enough.

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Daniel Cherny is an Age sports reporter.

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