AFL superstar Bailey Smith’s high-profile Instagram account suddenly ‘not available’

Geelong superstar Bailey Smith has done the unthinkable.

The man considered the most marketable in the AFL with more than 400,000 followers on Instagram — the most of any player — has seemingly deleted or deactivated his Instagram account.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Bailey Smith explains Brownlow antics as North target Buckley

It is unclear why the 25-year-old has made the move, but it follows a controversial night at the Brownlow Medal where he arrived late, avoided a red carpet entrance, and reportedly refused to do some interviews.

His social media antics also drew criticism, posting a selfie of himself in a lift at Crown with the caption “5 mins to get ready f*** me”.

Now, when clicking on his high-profile @Bazlenka account, the message from Meta Platforms is: “Sorry, this page isn’t available.”

“At this stage, we have absolutely no idea why he’s made that decision (to delete his account), and hopefully it’s nothing serious,” Geelong Insider said on social media.

“But for someone who has been such a massive presence on social media for years, you’d imagine stepping away from it completely is a pretty significant decision.

“Bailey has spoken openly in the past about his own mental health battles, which is why conversations like this are so important.

“He’s one of the biggest and most recognisable figures in the AFL and, because of that, everything he does seems to get picked apart ... sometimes the level of attention becomes ridiculous.”

Smith has a history of combustible behaviour, however, this year he has stayed largely out of the headlines, outside of intrigue around his love life.

After a string of off-field incidents in recent seasons, AFL CEO Andrew Dillon drove to Smith’s house last year for a secret meeting to discuss his behaviour after some questionable social media posts and two separate ‘obscene gestures’ on the field.

Dillon said he didn’t see Smith’s social media on Monday night but praised Smith’s 2026 season, which saw him finish runner-up in the Brownlow Medal only behind Nick Daicos.

“What I would say is, as I said, he had a great season, he turned up to the Brownlow, so he looked really good in some of the photos,” Dillon said on Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters.

“He’s one of the most marketable players in the competition, he’s one of the best, and we’ll continue to work with him on that.”

On Wednesday night Smith also addressed his curious Brownlow night and a recent shoulder operation which will keep him away from full contact training until after Christmas.

“I left a bit early too,” Smith said at Telstra’s player hub.

“It’s just annoying with this (my shoulder). Originally, I wasn’t coming and then the AFL was good to me, and I got to park in some weird little park.

“Then I took the lift straight up to the room. I had to be in the room at 7.45, got changed at like 7.30 and did a photo thing and then straight in.”

Geelong Insider said: “Whatever the reason behind deleting Instagram, we just hope he’s doing OK ... Footballers are human beings before they’re athletes. Look after yourself, Baz.”

Last year Smith used the All-Australian awards night to discuss spending time at a mental health facility as his wellbeing deterioriated while recovering from a knee reconstruction.

“It was about a year ago I got out of a psych ward, I was in Epworth Camberwell for like four weeks,” he said at the 2025 event.

“I got a couple of hours out a day, and I spent that time training and I went through a really dark time.

“I didn’t think I’d get to the other side and I’m super grateful to be here through the support of my family. My manager Robbie (D’Orazio), been there through the shocking times.

“I know it’s just an injury but until you experience it and have a sense of identity taken away from you and go through some teething issues with moving clubs and outside noise and still trying to just grow up and rehab a knee.

“I’m super grateful to be on the other side of it and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Certainly surprised to be where I am.”

Earlier this year Smith pushed for a league-wide mental health round during a raw post-match interview on Channel 7.

His call came in the wake of the death of Jaryd Dawson, the brother Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson, and the mental health episode that happened to Carlton’s Elijah Hollands during the Blues’ Round 6 clash with Collingwood.