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Their arrest was kept quiet until March 10, when Moore confessed he had spent a night in jail and apologised in an interview with Channel Seven.
“I was out having a few drinks and made a foolish mistake,” he said.
Moore and Macdonald during a Hawthorn training session on Wednesday.Credit: Paul Rovere
A Scottsdale Police Department report released to this masthead on Friday revealed police also initially alleged a small clear bag containing a “crystalline substance” fell out of Moore’s pocket when he was arrested.
However, only one of the five bodycam clips released on Tuesday shows Moore being searched, and it does not capture the moment the suspicious item allegedly fell onto the ground.
Instead, Officer Chris Motiejunas’ bodycam footage shows an officer searching Moore reach down – out of frame – and pick up a small white bag. He shows it to Moore.
“That is not mine,” the Hawthorn footballer says.
“It just came out of your pocket,” Motiejunas alleges, before telling another officer: “I just found a bag.”
The body camera is then muted for about a minute as the police talk.
Moore was asked earlier in the video if he had any contraband on him and said: “I don’t think so … unless someone has put something on me. I don’t know.”
Moore was initially charged with a misdemeanour drug paraphernalia offence, but this was dismissed at the request of the Scottsdale city attorney.
Dylan Moore (bottom left) and Connor Macdonald sit on the curb after their arrest in Scottsdale.Credit: Scottsdale Police Department
The bodycam clips released on Tuesday also show Moore and Macdonald making small talk with police as they sit in handcuffs on the side of the road.
“Our buddy’s the punter on the Tennessee team,” Moore says. “They f---ing suck now.”
The pair then discuss with police their trip to Arizona, and Macdonald adds: “I can’t believe the full moon every night.”
A police officer asks whether the pair play rugby or are in the military, to which Moore responds: “We tried to do the military, went to Darwin for the military, then didn’t get in, so we went rugby.”
The bodycam clips also show other men identify themselves as AFL footballers and speak to police shortly after Moore and Macdonald are detained. Their faces are blurred.
Three other Australians – who are not accused of any wrongdoing – appear shocked when Biland says Moore and Macdonald will spend a night in jail.
“Really?” asks one man, who later questions whether they are being pranked.
“Are you serious?” asks another, later adding: “Officer, we’re from Australia; we literally don’t know the rules around here.”
Moore atop a boom lift in Scottsdale, Arizona.Credit: Scottsdale Police Department
Biland tells the group that Macdonald and Moore were trespassing. “Now what happens if they fall, they get hurt, and then whose liability is it? Who gets sued?” he asks.
One Australian responds that no one would be sued as it would be Moore and Macdonald’s fault, but another Australian adds: “It’s America, everyone gets sued.”
Another bodycam clip shows Moore and Macdonald’s friends continuing to plead their case to other officers and suggesting the arrest was an overreaction.
“Do they really deserve [this]?” one man asks. “There’s surely other things that are going on that’s worse than that.”
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In a lengthy discussion, Sergeant Michael Clore concedes the incident was not incredibly serious, but says police were doing their job.
“The charge is trespassing. On a scale of sexiness, [it’s] not sexy, I’m going to be honest with you. But again, my team, what these guys do, is we handle small problems,” he says.
“You guys heard of Seattle or Portland? Anarchy ... that’s what we’re trying to prevent here.”
The young men with Moore and Macdonald tell police they are professional athletes, explaining that Australian rules football is different to rugby.
Back on track: Moore and Macdonald at training on Wednesday. Credit: Paul Rovere
“To be honest, this is a bit of a disaster for us,” says one Australian. “We’re stressing because we’re going to have to call our sports team and tell them what’s happening.”
Another Australian says: “We’d rather this not get out.”
Hawthorn Football Club has been asked who the other footballers with Macdonald and Moore were but has not responded to questions.
Court records show Moore has a sentencing hearing at the Scottsdale City Court on July 13, while Macdonald is listed to face court on August 4.
Macdonald speaks with police after his arrest.Credit: Scottsdale Police Department
Hawthorn president Andy Gowers said on Friday night that he believed the players would not have to attend in person.
“We’ve all made mistakes, haven’t we?” Gowers told 3AW. “I think the important thing is, Dylan was immediately remorseful on the front foot, [and] let the club know.”
The club has fined Moore and Macdonald and required them to undergo alcohol counselling and complete community service. Moore, 26, has also lost the vice captaincy.
The pair were in Arizona for an off-season trip and visited the gym of high-performance company Exos, which specialises in training elite athletes.
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