Former AFL star-turned-media personality Jimmy Bartel has lifted the lid on his troubled childhood at the hands of his “violent” father, and revealed why he believes the game’s first openly gay men’s player is yet to come forward.

In a candid interview with Sarah Grynberg on the A Life of Greatness podcast , Bartel revealed that behind the three-time premiership player and Brownlow medallist was a man who had endured his fair share of personal challenges.

Largely raised in Geelong, the ex-Cat’s parents separated when he was just one-year-old, recalling a pivotal moment in his relationship with his father after spending school holidays with him aged 14.

“I’m pretty guarded and reserved, and I remember coming home, I went straight to my bedroom and then Mum comes in and goes, ‘What’s wr

See Full Page