Disgraced Australian Olympic hockey star Tom Craig was on the run from French police when he was caught buying cocaine in Paris on Wednesday, it has emerged.
The 28-year-old Kookaburras striker was arrested on Tuesday evening in the Pigalle area north of the French capital after police spotted him buying drugs near a building in the 9th arrondissement.
Craig, a qualified lawyer, tried to flee from French police before realising he could not escape, according to the Herald of the Sun.
After spending the night in custody, Craig was released Wednesday afternoon without prosecution and without a fine.
He made a brief statement before leaving in a vehicle provided by the Australian Olympic Committee.
“First of all, I would like to apologize for what happened over the past 24 hours. I made a terrible mistake and I take full responsibility for my actions,” he said.
“My actions are my own and in no way reflect the values of my family, my teammates, my friends, my sport and the Australian Olympic Committee. I have brought shame on them all and for that I am truly sorry.”
Craig faced a summary hearing on Wednesday night (AEST) alongside his lawyers.
Pictured: Craig sits on the pavement with his hands behind his back moments after his arrest in Paris on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old is pictured with Australian Hockey’s head of high performance Bernard Savage (left) on his way to tell media he had made a “terrible mistake” after being released by police.
Craig is pictured with his partner, Australian Olympic hockey star Alice Arnott.
Craig is understood to have been arrested just 15 minutes after leaving a function for the Australian team, which was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Paris Games.
He can be seen sitting on the sidewalk with his hands behind his back as officers carried out their investigation in a picture taken just after he was arrested.
Australian hockey high performance director Bernard Savage met Craig when he was in police custody and said the star was in pain when he caught up with him.
“I was disheveled. I was tired. I was hungry. I was stressed,” Savage said.
Four-time Australian Olympian Emily Seebohm offered a possible explanation for Craig’s shocking behaviour when asked about the situation on Thursday.
“I think it’s one of those tough situations in sports where sometimes things don’t go the way you think they will. And there’s a kind of post-big competition blues that a lot of athletes go through,” she told KIIS 97.3’s Robin & Kip radio show.
“A lot of athletes are at a stage where they’re wondering, ‘Do I keep going? Do I wait another four years? Can I do it again?’ And this is the time when they’re exploring that option, whether it’s the last one for them or whether they want to move on.”
Australian Olympic swimmer Emily Seebohm (pictured) said some athletes lose control at the Games because they sink into a deep depression once their events are over.
Australia’s chef de mission in Paris, Anna Meares (pictured), announced that Craig has been stripped of all his privileges at the Games and will not be allowed to attend the closing ceremony.
Australia’s chef de mission in Paris, Anna Meares, announced Craig’s punishment in a statement on Thursday morning AEST.
Meares said Craig was “a good person who made a bad decision, but decisions like this have consequences.”
“I cannot condone what Tom has done,” Meares said.
‘Our team has been exemplary at these Games and their actions do not reflect the team’s values or diminish its performance.
“He has apologized, he has shown remorse, he has acknowledged his mistake and we will support him if he needs help.”
He said Craig will no longer be able to participate in the Games.
“As a result, Tom will lose all his remaining Olympic privileges. He had already moved out of the Olympic Village and I understand he had no intention of returning for the Closing Ceremony. If he had, he would not have been able to attend,” said the former cycling champion.
“In terms of our actions, there is not much more we can do at this point as this occurred outside of the team environment.”
