Adelaide’s patience with Bernie Vince is “stretched” as the AFL club prepares to discipline the star midfielder for stripping down to his boxer shorts in a pub.

But Crows chief executive Steven Trigg says Vince is unlikely to be suspended and miss Saturday night’s pre-season final because of “the latest in a few silly actions”.

Vince, who has twice been suspended by his club, denied claims from two supposed Crows members who emailed an Adelaide radio station, alleging the 26-year-old was drunk and abusive on Sunday at Stansbury on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula.

The Crows say the complainants are not on their membership books and have yet to be found, despite widespread investigations.

Vince has played cricket for Stansbury and was celebrating the club’s premiership win on Sunday.

“I think he got caught up in a group mentality of ‘this is what we’re doing to celebrate’,” Trigg said of the reasons why Vince stripped to his underwear at a private function in a Stansbury hotel.

“He hasn’t broken the law – he hasn’t hurt anybody – this about the brand and about a repetition.”

Trigg said his patience with Vince was stretched, but stressed Sunday’s incident was not alcohol-related.

“Bernie will be dealt with strongly on this one way or another because it’s inappropriate to be in a public place … like that,” he said.

“In so many ways, Bernie is such a loved and integral part of our organisation.

“But the silliness that goes with it sometimes is a distraction to us.

“It’s a work in progress to try to get him to understand that … just a little lapse of judgement like that can create days of distraction.”

Trigg said Vince, who the club counselled after being evicted with a group of friends from Adelaide Casino at 6.30am on Boxing Day last year, must realise he would be closely watched when socialising.

“You put a string of these silly little items together and you might be subject to someone just throwing a red herring in there somewhere,” Trigg said.

“I’m not saying this one is a red herring yet.

“But we know … it’s not a great look to be in boxer shorts in a public place.

“It creates an opportunity for those who want to be destructive.”

In 2010, Vince was banned by Adelaide’s leadership group for one match after a late night in Melbourne following a Friday night game.

And in 2007, Vince was also banned for a game for breaching a team curfew after being out at an Adelaide hotel.