Tim Paine believes his sexting scandal was the result of his ‘inflated ego’ as a Test cricketer, but admits he still doesn’t know why he did it.
The text exchange included an unsolicited’ picture of his genitals and ‘graphic sexual comments’, that caused her to complain seven months later.
The married father-of-two was investigated and cleared of wrongdoing by Cricket Australia in 2018, when he confessed to wife Bonnie that he sexted a female employee of Cricket Tasmania over the course of 18 hours.
But the matter was kept secret for three years until the messages were made public on Friday afternoon and Paine tearfully resigned as Australian captain.
Paine was hit from all sides for his conduct, but legendary spin bowler Shane Warne, who himself is no stranger to sex scandals, threw his support behind him.
Paine says he told wife Bonnie (pictured) in mid-2018 after Cricket Tasmania and Cricket Australia investigated the incident between him and the young staffer
Paine announced his resignation as captain in a statement on Friday afternoon and held a press conference and 2.30pm on Friday where he tearfully apologised
Paine admitted he doesn’t know why he sexted with the staffer but offered several theories to explain his behaviour.
‘I battle with that every day, “Why did I send those messages?’ Maybe it’s as simple as stupidity? Or an inflated ego? Or feeling needed or wanted, being flattering,’ the 36-year-old told the Herald Sun.
‘Or that it was dangerous or risqué? I don’t know, I’m not sure. But I know I wish I hadn’t, and it’ll be a life of regret that I did.’
Warne wrote in a column for the publication people shouldn’t be quick to judge Paine because ‘he’s only human’.
‘I’m not judging him on this incident. Just because Tim is in the public eye doesn’t mean he won’t make a mistake,’ he wrote.
‘Sportspersons are human, they have feelings. Let’s stop the judgement. It’s not our place to do that.’
Cricket legend Shane Warne has leapt to the defence of disgraced former test captain Tim Paine after the 36-year-old was involved in a sexting scandal dating back to 2017
Bonnie said she has ‘a lot of sympathy’ for her husband and said the pair have overcome the matter, despite her considering leaving him at the time
Paine, who opened up on the scandal alongside his wife Bonnie, said he would regularly talk with the woman about cricket-related things until one day it took a ‘flirtatious’ turn.
‘There was nothing unusual about it. But then, one text was sent that was a little open-ended, and it became a flirtatious exchange that should never have,’ he said.
The former test captain said he informed his wife of the 2017 exchange as soon as it was made known to Cricket Tasmania in mid-2018, which shook the foundations of their marriage.
‘As soon as a complaint was lodged. I told her everything. I admitted to all of it. As hard as that was, it was the best thing I did,’ Paine said.
Bonnie said she has ‘a lot of sympathy’ for her husband and said the pair overcame his betrayal, despite her considering leaving him at the time.
‘I had mixed emotions, and I felt betrayed, and I felt hurt, upset and I felt pissed off, I also had feelings of gratitude because he was being so honest with me. I thought, OK, do I walk? Or forgive and rebuild? I chose the latter,’ she told the Herald Sun.
‘It was hard, he has forgiven me for things, and people have forgiven me in my past, so I just felt I owed it to Tim to try and forgive.’
Paine, who opened up on the scandal alongside his wife Bonnie (pictured together), said he would regularly talk with the woman about cricket-related things until one day it took a ‘flirtatious’ turn
Paine, who guided Australia to the Ashes in England in 2019, announced he was stepping down as captain in a tearful press conference on Friday
Warne wrote a column to defend Paine’s character on Sunday, saying he’d done an admirable job leading Australia and said people should move on as he and his family have done.
‘It was sad to see what happened last Friday on so many levels and the circumstances in which Tim was forced to stand down. I really feel for him, what he’s going through, and what his family is going through,’ he wrote in the Herald Sun.
‘Let’s just for a moment put it in perspective. It happened four years ago, and a full Cricket Australia investigation cleared him to take the captaincy. His family stood by him then, and now.’
The saga got even murkier on Sunday with news Paine’s brother-in-law, Shannon Tubb, allegedly also sent lewd messages to the same woman.
Warne (pictured with ex-fiance Liz Hurley) wrote a column to defend Paine’s character on Sunday, saying he’d done an admirable job leading Australia and said people should move on as he and his family have done
Paine’s brother-in-law, Shannon Tubb (pictured), allegedly also sent lewd messages to the same woman
Tubb, who is married to Paine’s sister, was investigated in mid-2018 by Cricket Tasmania after the board were looking into the incident involving the former test captain.
Paine was allowed to remain with the side but Tubb was stood down from his position as an assistant coach for Tasmania for his alleged actions.
Tubb refused to comment on the alleged messages when asked by the Herald Sun.
Paine announced his resignation as captain in a statement on Friday afternoon and held a press conference and 2.30pm on Friday where he tearfully apologised.
‘It’s an incredibly difficult decision, but the right one for me, my family, and cricket,’ he said.
Tim and Bonnie Paine have been together for more than 10 years and have two children, a son named Charlie and daughter named Milla
The woman at the centre of the scandal was a Cricket Tasmania employee whom Paine knew from playing state cricket.
She sent a letter of complaint to Cricket Australia and Cricket Tasmania in 2018 – sparking an investigation – and she also wrote to the Australian Human Rights Commission about the texts.
The woman said she was offended by ‘Mr Paine’s sexually explicit, unwelcome and unsolicited picture of his genitals and his graphic sexual comments’.
Cricket Tasmania on Friday said the complaint came about only after the woman was charged with stealing from the organisation. The case still before the courts.