A few beers led to a few more beers and that's led to public humiliation for Melbourne midfielder Brent Moloney.

The AFL club stripped the midfielder of his vice-captaincy on Monday and Moloney also admitted he will seek help for a drinking problem.

But the Demons strenuously denied an allegation from a member of the public that Moloney urinated on a St Kilda bar early Monday morning.

The club investigated Moloney, who was asked to leave the nightclub at around 2.30am for being too drunk.

He left without incident, but the other members of Melbourne's leadership group decided Moloney deserved punishment and the club agreed.

"Obviously I'm disappointed and embarrassed (about) what happened last night, obviously I'm not setting the right standards for this footy club," Moloney told a packed media conference on Monday afternoon.

"I'm very disappointed I'm losing the vice captaincy, but I'm going to keep leading like I have for the last two or three years.

"Obviously I have a problem with my binge drinking - I don't drink a lot, but when I do I seem to consume too much."

Moloney estimated he would drink to excess only two or three times a year.

But Demons chief executive Cameron Schwab said Moloney had not met the standards that the Melbourne players have set themselves.

What the club did not say publicly, but clearly was also a major concern, is the potential for such an incident to become something much worse.

"The fact he was out late, drunk is the issue," Schwab said.

"The concern is, from Brent's point of view, that a few beers end up with a few more beers."

Schwab said the nightclub's proprietors had assured the Demons that Moloney had not relieved himself at the bar.

"They confirmed the incident that was purported to have happened, didn't occur," Schwab said.

As other senior Melbourne players looked on, coach Dean Bailey said Moloney would be available for selection this Sunday against Gold Coast.

Bailey added there was no timeframe on how long Moloney would be without the vice-captaincy, something the player had treasured.

"He's a player who's worked his arse off in the last two or three years to get to what he has," Bailey said.

"I know he'll work incredibly hard to regain the trust of his team-mates and also to resurrect his position at Melbourne.

"This might be the making of a better player.

"His behaviour and actions will be closely monitored, let me tell you.

"If he's going to remain a Melbourne player - and I want him to be - his behaviours and actions will speak louder than anything ... there will be no easy way back."

Moloney, 27, has played 111 games with Geelong and Melbourne since his AFL debut in 2003.

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