AFL legend Adam Goodes is sporting a different look and now working as a wellness activist, six years he walked away from the game due to relentless racism.
The dual Brownlow Medal winner and Sydney Swans premiership star stepped away from the public eye after he called full-time on his 372-game career in 2015.
The notoriously private indigenous sporting great, 41, shared a rare insight into his life on Wednesday as he announced a partnership with health supplement brand Wanderlust Australia NZ as a wellness activist.
Known on the footy field for his short back and sides, Goodes has grown out his hair in recent months, now worn in a man bun or ponytail and is passionate about meditation.
A photo shoot for his new role shows a relaxed Goodes meditating in flowing clothes and in a reflective mood while walking along a river.
Adan Goodes is sporting a different look from his days as an AFL superstar
'From my sporting career to my daily rituals, health and wellness has always been a huge part of my journey,' Goodes captioned the photos on Instagram.
'This need and desire to live a more conscious and connected life is why I am proud to partner with as one of their wellness activists.
'I look forward to helping bring this brand to life here in Australia and sharing how important even a simple mindful moment to yourself truly is.'
He also looks forward to sharing his experiences with meditation and the vital role health and wellbeing continue to have on his life.
Wanderlust Australia NZ shared footage from a recent film shoot with Goodes in the Kangaroo Valley south of Sydney.
'A proud Adnyamathanha man with a strong connection to self, his community, and the natural world - we can't wait to share his work, values and rituals for living a conscious and connected life with you,' the company posted.
Goodes still calls Bondi in Sydney's eastern suburbs home, where he lives with wife Natalie and their two-year-old daughter Adelaide.
Adam Goodes (left with wife Natalie ) now enjoys a quiet life away from the public spotlight with his family
Meditation plays a big role in the former AFL superstar Adam Goodes' life these days
He keeps busy these days as an ambassador for David Jones, Toyota and Qantas and throws his support behind a number a worthy causes, including The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation.
The federal government this week released a video of Goodes explaining his reasons for rolling up his sleeves for the Covid-19 vaccine in the hope of inspiring more indigenous Australians to do the same.
Earlier this year, Goodes became an unanimous first-year committee selection to be inducted in the AFL Hall of Fame, which is eligible to former champions retired for at least five years.
But the 2014 Australian of the Year knocked back one of the football code's most prestigious accolades after the end of his illustrious career was marred by racism.
'The treatment of Adam in his final years at AFL level drove him from football. The AFL and our game did not do enough to stand with him at the time, and call it out,' AFL Commission chairman Richard Goyder said at the time.
The 372-game AFL star has joined forces with Wanderlust Australia NZ as a wellness activist
Adam Goodes wears his growing locks in a man bun or ponytail these days
Goodes was subjected to relentless racial abuse in the final 18 months of his 372-game career.
He distanced himself from the sport after hanging up the boots in 2015 and turned down an offer to be part of the lap of honour for retired players around the MCG on grand final day.
He has remained out of the limelight since and friends claim Goodes doesn't even attend Swans matches or watch his former club on television.
Rival fans booed Goodes for 17 consecutive games in 2015, which forced him to take leave from the game and retired just weeks later.
Six years on from stepping away from the public eye, Adam Goodes is enjoying a happy and healthy life away from Football
Two years earlier, Goodes made headlines when he became an outspoken advocate for Indigenous rights after standing up to relentless crowd abuse in 2013.
The indigenous AFL star had been standing near the boundary during the dying stages of a match against Collingwood at the MCG when he heard a teenage girl in the crowd yell over the fence: 'Goodes, you're an ape'.
Then-Collingwood president president Eddie McGuire apologised to Goodes after the match but joked on his breakfast radio show five days later that the Swans star should be used to promote the musical King Kong in Melbourne.
Two documentaries later documented Goodes' final three years in the sport, prompting the AFL to issue a formal apology in 2019.
Adam Goodes (pictured in his final season) was one of the biggest stars of the AFL before relentless racism forced him to walk away from the code in 2015
'I look forward to helping bring this brand to life here in Australia and sharing how important even a simple mindful moment to yourself truly is,' Adam Goodes said
Retiring AFL indigenous star Eddie Betts weighed into the controversy ahead of his 351st and final game.
'The AFL platform has really given me a place to express myself and I guess when I speak about my voice and how I want to use it, I got that belief from Adam Goodes,' he told Fox Footy's AFL360 on Tuesday night.
'What he went through in his journey and the ways things finished was really disappointing and he'd given me the courage and the strength to speak up and use my voice and I thank Adam for that.'
He believes the code is still not a safe space for indigenous people, six years on from Goodes' controversial departure from the sport
'I feel like there's still a lot of racism, and this year there has been a lot of racism,' Betts said.
'It's been draining and it's been tiring. Every year we see myself and the other Aboriginal boys standing up, trying to call it out, trying to make a stance.'
Now 41 and a dad, Goodes looks forward to sharing his experiences with meditation and the vital role health and wellbeing continue to have on his life.
