Said former coach Damian Hardwick went to ground after King was cut

Jake King scored job on AFL show after being mistaken as

Former Richmond player Jake King has admitted he scored a job on an AFL show because the producers mistook him for being indigenous.

The former Victorian forward was employed on a National Indigenous Television program as a panellist earlier this year, despite having no indigenous heritage.

King said at a launch for a charity foundation over the weekend he secured the job after returning home from an eventful summer with a dark tan, Herald Sun reported.

Former Richmond player Jake King has admitted he scored a job on an AFL show - because the producers mistook him for being indigenous

'I had a big summer and came back tanned. Since then, they invited me to come back permanently,' King said at the launch of the Tournier Foundation, who raise funds for sick and underprivileged kids.

'They thought I was indigenous.'

King also revealed Richmond coach Damian Hardwick went to ground after he was cut from the team in 2014.

The AFL career of King has brought to an end after a persistent toe injury throughout his final season.

King came under fire for his friendship with former bikie gang boss Toby Mitchell, and warned by senior Richmond executives against bringing Mitchell into the club's rooms in 2013.

Earlier this year King voiced his support for troubled star Ben Cousins, revealing that he visited his old teammate in Perth to check in on him after years of drug addiction.

The former Victorian forward was employed on a National Indigenous Television program as a panellist earlier this year

King said he secured the job after returning home from an eventful summer with a dark tan