Retired AFL Star Buddy Franklin’s Possible Career Twist Leaked in Video

Lance Franklin salutes the crowd during the 2024 AFL Round 07 match between the Hawthorn Hawks and the Sydney Swans in Melbourne, Australia, on April 28, 2024. (Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Former AFL legend Lance Buddy Franklin’s career appears to have taken an unexpected turn.

Almost a year after he announced his retirement from the Australian Football League, a leaked video shows behind-the-scenes footage of the football star appearing in a cooking set-up.

In the video posted to Reddit, Mr. Franklin wears a flour-marked apron while kneading dough in a kitchen. He also gives directions as he works on the cooking task in front of him.

“So what we want to do guys, we want to round it out, that’s really important,” he says in the video. “I like to make it look as close as possible to a football. So that does take time to do it with care.”

Reddit users shared their thoughts in response to the post titled “Does anyone know what this is? Looks like Buddy’s got a new side hustle... but it’s not on the field.”

Some users believed Mr. Franklin was now a chef and the face of a new cooking show, with one user suggesting he was participating in a new MasterChef season.

“I’m not a scientist, but if I had to take a wild guess I'd say it looks like he’s taking part in some sort of televised cooking program,” one user wrote.

“MasterChef AFL edition and the judges are Petracca, Buddy, and the Rocca Brothers,” another wrote, naming other AFL players known to have an affinity for cooking.

“Lol is he in a cooking show?” wrote another.

One user speculated that Franklin was part of an advertisement and wrote, “Got to be an ad right?”

However, according to Daily Mail Australia, Mr. Franklin’s upcoming venture is part of a collaboration between him and beer company Hahn, with more to be announced July 5.

Buddy’s Retirement

Mr. Franklin’s retirement from the AFL was announced last July during the 2023 season. The Sydney and Hawthorn player left his position after he injured his calf in a game against the Essendon Bombers.

The forward told teammates of his decision before posting a message to his Instagram account on July 30.

“What a journey. Thanks to everyone who has been on this crazy ride with me,” Mr. Franklin wrote.

Instead of attending a media conference later that day, coach John Longmire and Chief Executive Tom Harley paid tribute to the star player in his absence.

“Lance Franklin has been a wonderful player with this football club and in my opinion is the greatest forward of his generation,” Mr. Longmire said, according to The Guardian. “He is an absolute freak of nature and we have been lucky enough to have front row seats to one of the best ever to play.”

The coach then asked the media to respect Mr. Franklin’s decision to be absent from the announcement and said he is “very shy, very humble. He just doesn’t like these situations I guess,” he said. “He’s more comfortable out on the footy ground.”

Mr. Longmire also described the moment Franklin announced his retirement decision to his teammates alongside his wife Jesinta and children.

“Jes was in here with the kids and they just talked about it, and everyone gave him a hug,” he said. “He loves being in the locker room with the boys and loves competing on weekends, but there comes a time.”

Mr. Franklin played 354 games and kicked an astounding 1066 goals, putting him in 4^th place on the list of highest goal scorers in VFL and AFL competition history.

In 2022, the AFL legend kicked his 1000^th AFL goal at the Sydney Cricket Ground against Geelong, resulting in a swarm of fans rushing to the field in celebration.