North Melbourne captain Jack Ziebell has spoken of his family's shock after being named in a fake social media post that stated he had tested positive for coronavirus.
On Sunday a tweet, which claimed to be from a football journalist, was posted stating that Ziebell had contracted the virus.
Ziebell spoke about how the post led to some anxious moments for his family, despite the post being fake.
โMy old man gave me a call Sunday afternoon when I was outside doing something on the front lawn and I didnโt have my phone with me,โ Ziebell told the Herald Sun.
โMy girlfriend popped out of the house and said โyour dadโs on the phone, he sounds a bit concerned.โ
โI said โwhatโs going on mate?โ and he asked โdo you have coronavirusโ? โI said โwhat are you talking about? I donโt have it.โ
โHe said โIโve had a mate ring me that said on Twitter that you have it.โ
โI was trying to figure out what had happened and I checked my phone and saw I had a few missed calls from the footy clubโs media manager Heath OโLoughlin. โThey worked out a reporterโs account had been hacked or something like that and that had been put out there."
โItโs probably more nerve-racking for my family because I knew I didnโt have it, but it was a bit interesting yesterday.โ
With games set to proceed with no crowd, Ziebell spoke of his willingness to do so providing it was deemed safe by health authorities.
"If weโre OK to play then โwhy not?" "But as soon as that changes, the AFL will make the right call because theyโve got all the same priorities as society has"
โWhichever way it falls, we just have to roll with the punches a bit. But from a personal point of view, Iโm happy to play as long as itโs safe.โ
After completing a VFL practice game last Saturday, Ziebell has declared himself fit for Sunday's match against St Kilda.
โI pulled up really well so Iโll 100 per cent be available for Sundayโs game,โ he said.
