Here’s The Blow-By-Blow Of Grant Hackett’s Airborne Altercation & Arrest

This afternoon, it was revealed three-time Olympic gold medallist and, by all accounts, Australian sporting royalty Grant Hackett was arrested after some apparent biffo on a Virgin Australia flight from Adelaide to Melbourne. 

At the time, details on the ground – and in the air – were pretty sparse. 2GB radio host Ray Hadley claimed Hackett had confronted another passenger due to an over-reclined seat. While that’s a reasonable concern, people don’t usually get in trouble with the Australian Federal Police because of it.

Now, more details have emerged about the circumstances of the flight, and exactly what in the hell happened. According to 7 News, Hackett attended a function last night in Adelaide, and he wasn’t seen drinking – he had been on a strict training regimen for his unrealised Olympic team bid.

That’s important, ’cause 7 News reports he smelled of alcohol when he boarded the flight. Police sources said he carried a bag into a loo for an unusual amount of time, before appearing “aggressive and agitated”.

From there, he called out a fellow business class passenger for his flight faux pas. Words were exchanged, chests were grabbed, a former Olympian was restrained by flight staff, and radio calls were made for police assistance on the tarmac in Melbourne.

The AFP have confirmed they spoke to “a 35-year-old man” about the biffo. Virgin Australia has kept mum about it out of deference to the privacy of passengers and staff, while the other man involved doesn’t seem to be pressing charges. Hackett was released mid-afternoon, but the authorities are keen to speak to him again.

Whether that conflicts with his new duties as a mentor to the Olympic swimming team is yet to be seen. At the very least, it’s the latest in a streak of events that have kept Hackett in the public eye even when he’s not in the pool. 

Source: 7 News Sydney / Twitter. 
Photo: Quinn Rooney / Getty.

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