'The media were coming after me': Retired star Steven May reveals mental toll of dropped pub brawl charges
Steven May has broken his silence following his sudden retirement before the 2026 season and the police charges against him that were recently dropped.
Alongside Richmond star Dion Prestia, the 34-year-old Melbourne player was charged with involvement in a Boxing Day 2024 fight at 2am in Sorrento.
Specifically, May was charged on summons with affray.
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Steven May and Max Gawn lead the Demons players out. Getty
However, Magistrate Tony Burns confirmed this month that all charges against the pair have been struck out, with their legal costs to be paid by the police.
Speaking in-depth for the first time since his retirement at the start of the year, May said he was happy to put everything behind him.
"Charges finally dropped on Friday, it's been a big 18 months," May told SEN on Wednesday afternoon.
"Your name gets dragged through the media. I know I don't have the greatest name already so that didn't help.
"Especially when you were so innocent in something. You can't really do much or say much because it's a criminal charge.
"I feel for Dion. He's still playing and has got different hurdles he has to get through. It was a huge weight off both of our shoulders."
May added that he felt hard done by in the media during the frustrating saga.
"One-hundred per cent. If you've made a few mistakes in the past you grow a bit of a record, I guess," he added.
"If you were to do something and you were innocent then no one is really going to believe you. They'll look at the history.
"I've had a few indiscretions off-field, you could say. That definitely didn't help. When you're so innocent in something no one really believes you.
"The media were coming after me for the last year and a bit, and then on Friday I didn't hear anything when the charges got dropped.
"I know that's the nature of the beast, that doesn't sell papers - 'charges withdrawn'. I get it, it's what you signed up for."
Dion Prestia, left, and Steven May, right, have had all charges against them dropped. Getty
The indiscretions May is referring to include getting into a fist fight with Melbourne teammate Jake Melksham at a restaurant in 2022 and another physical altercation in 2013 with Gold Coast teammate Campbell Brown outside a Los Angeles nightclub that left May with a broken jaw.
On the field he put together a decorated career. The key defender made successive All-Australian teams across 2021 and 2022, was a key piece of Melbourne's premiership success in 2021 and captained Gold Coast for two seasons.
When Steven King took over the reins at the Demons following the sacking of Simon Goodwin, May was reportedly told to look for a new home in the trade period as the club looked for a fresh start for all parties.
No trade eventuated and the defender returned to the club for the summer.
However, May said he has full respect for King and part of his call to retire was to help give the club the clean air they were seeking.
"(King) spoke to me beforehand. He gave me a clean slate when he came in," May said.
"There were no priors, he said he would give me a clean slate like every other player. He was really good, he was true to his word and very supportive. I could see he was going to be a good coach, I didn't realise he was going to be this good this quick.
"Another part of my decision to retire was that 'Kingy' needed to come in with fresh air. They'd moved on a few star players (Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver), I still had the charges hanging over my head, I knew that was a distraction to the footy club even though they didn't really say it. I could feel it.
"There comes a point where you've got to make a decision that's best for my family but also for the footy club. My family is happy and the club is flying, so I'm pretty stoked with it."
Steven May of the Demons and Michael Hibberd celebrate with the premiership cup in 2021. AFL Photos via Getty Images
Of course, he's frustrated that he needed to retire after completing a full pre-season of running with the club, but said he has no plans to attempt an AFL comeback elsewhere.
"The worst part about it was I had just done a pre-season, and I hate pre-seasons. Some people love them but I really hate them," he laughed.
"It was the end of January so I'd finally got through it and ready for a new year, I was injured all last season, had a bad year on the field. I was really ready to show people that I still have it, did the pre-season, ran a PB in January, up and about, let's go.
"Then had a bit of a mental breakdown and found myself a bit lost and not sure what to do. It came to a point where I had to put the club before myself.
"I was able to retire before the deadline so then they could get another player in and Patty Cross is playing good footy and Melbourne are flying. All in all it looks like it's worked well for both parties.
"It does hurt not to be running out on the MCG every week, that really sucks."
