Former AFL footballer Nick Stevens, who showed "no remorse" after bashing his former partner, has been released on bail after being sentenced to eight months in jail on charges relating to domestic violence.

Stevens was found guilty in January of assault, threats to kill and intentionally causing injury to his ex-partner while they were dating in 2012 and 2013.

The 34-year-old, who played 231 games for Carlton and Port Adelaide before retiring in 2009, told his former girlfriend he was going to kill her and her dad after smashing her face into a tiled kitchen wall, the court heard.

He also caused grazing to her face on a separate occasion by pushing her head into the outside wall of a house, and pushed and kicked her when she threw wine at him during a fight.

In sentencing, Magistrate Nunzio La Rosa said Stevens had shown no remorse for his actions.

The magistrate said the pair had lived together and loved each other but "violence by men against women, put in an intimate setting, is to be condemned in stern terms".

"That your career has suffered there is no doubt, but there is no legal basis to differentiate him from others simply because they have more to lose or have lost more," Mr La Rosa said.

Stevens' lawyer launched an appeal against the sentence and the former AFL star was released on bail until the hearing in April.

Outside court Stevens told reporters he respected the court's decision and had no further comment.

The Ringwood Magistrates Court previously heard Stevens had also breached an intervention order more than 2,500 times in two months, mostly in text messages to his former girlfriend.

Many of the messages were abusive and threatened self-harm, the court also heard.

Stevens pleaded guilty to breaching the intervention order.

He had been coaching SANFL club Glenelg but was sacked after being found guilty of the charges.