Former AFL Premiership and Norm Smith Medal winning player Brian Lake has reportedly been arrested and is being held in a Japanese prison after a drunken bar scuffle in Osaka.
Lake was in the country playing for the Indonesian Volcanoes in an AFL Asia tournament, which his team won, when the incident is said to have occurred.
The former Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn champion is being held in a Osaka jail cell, where he could remain for up to 23 days without charge, while officials investigate and decide whether or not to lay charges over the incident.
It’s believed that while Lake was a part of the fight, he did not throw a punch at anyone, and was not the instigator in the incident. He was said to have been arrested and transported to jail in order to cool off after a night of celebrating.
How Lake came to be in Japan playing for Indonesia is another thing altogether.
The story goes that Lake spent an undisclosed amount of time in Fiji in recent months, participating as a contestant on Channel Ten’s upcoming season of Australian Survivor. From there, Lake travelled to Bali instead of returning to Australia.
Lake, who is going through a separation with his wife, was then recruited by former AFL player Rick Olarenshaw – who serves as coach of the Bali Geckos – to travel to Osaka and play for Indonesia in the unidentified tournament, which the Volcanoes subsequently won. Posts made by Lake on Instagram confirm as much.
It’s believed that members of the Volcanoes side – including Olarenshaw – are working to secure Lake’s release from prison.
Lake and his wife were famously arrested in 2013 following a drunken verbal altercation in Sorrento following the Portsea Polo.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed they are monitoring the case and will extended consular support should Lake be in need of it.
Channel Ten’s new season of Australian Survivor is set to premiere in the coming weeks.
