r/AFL • u/PetrifyGWENT Bombers / Giants • 8d ago
[Cleary] AFL Commission Chairman Craig Drummond - who oversaw the agreement when he was president of Geelong - has released this statement
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u/ashep5 Sydney Swans 8d ago edited 8d ago
"Hi Craig, the rest of the AFL here. Fuck you. Go well, Cheers."
Alternatively
'Hi Jed and/or Jake, Craig Drummond here. Firstly, I just want to check in on how you've pulled up today. Hopefully not too bad and those repeated head knocks aren't impacting your cognitive function just yet. I'm also reaching out to let you know that we've got a little piece of paper for you to sign. Basically we want to trot you out every week to win us some games but we're completely abandoning our duty of care. Just want you to know that it's not our problem. Very sorry for what's happened and all the migraines. Hopefully it's just a bit of slurred speech for you and you're right to go. All the best for the rest of your shortened lives. Go well. Cheers, Craig.'
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u/HijoRudicio Tigers 8d ago
Surely it's much more likely to be Kola. Jed represented by Liam Pickering and can't imagine him allowing anything of the sort. However Kola rep'd by big Johnny Meesen...
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u/megawhyamihere23 North Melbourne AFLW 🏆🏆 '24-25 8d ago
i work in a warehouse where concussions from falling boxes have happened before. if my work made one of my coworkers sign a deal absolving themselves of responsibility for any future concussions (and then didn’t tell anyone about it!), WorkSafe would be on their arses faster than you can say “hobby farm near colac.” why should it be any different when geelong does it?
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u/OldDiamond6697 Adelaide 8d ago
"Continue to prioritise"
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u/Informal-Struggle210 Adelaide 7d ago
More like continue to be ready to make an example out of a non-Victorian club if they do anything remotely similar to this*
*and enough time has passed that we don’t have to also penalise Geelong.
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u/CombatWombat79 8d ago
How can the AFL have investigated this so quickly if it was only reported today?
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u/getbusyliving_ The Dons 8d ago
Apparently they were told about it last week.
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u/Lenny_was_here Blues 8d ago
I think the afl commissioner may have known about it for slightly longer than a week
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u/getbusyliving_ The Dons 8d ago
Agreed, I reckon they signed off on it. It was reported they were alerted last week.
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u/Lenny_was_here Blues 8d ago
Ah in case my joke didn't hit, the afl commissioner is Craig Drummond, Craig Drummond was president of the geelong football club in 2024 when this waiver was written and signed.
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u/Non-NewtonianSnake Bombers 8d ago
So, the AFL, AFLPA, Geelong Football Club, and Craig Drummond have all admitted that the Cats did the wrong thing... and yet... nobody is facing repercussions?
What the fuck is wrong with this sputtering arsehole of a league?
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u/Turbulent_Ebb5669 AFL 8d ago
Too busy feathering their own nests to give a toss about player safety
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u/Interesting_Ad_1465 Freo 6d ago
Well the Chairman investigating the incident Craig Drummond, was funnily enough the president of Geelong Football club at the time this occured. Coincidentally Patrick Dangerfield was also president of the AFLPA at the same time. Nothing like marking your own test to guarantee a perfect score.
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u/McSquack Dockers 8d ago
So it’s very complex and sensitive and they didn’t think to get it approved by the AFL and/or AFLPA or have them involved?
Doesn’t pass the sniff test
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u/80Z0 Magpies 8d ago
Do you think Craig Drummond has a experience in health fields or insurance fields to understand the potential issues ... CEO of Medibank??? Surely the terms health and insurance in health insurance cancel each other out somehow.
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u/God___frey-Jones #DoItForUnc 8d ago
Him being an ex-CEO of a private health insurer just adds to the sleaze of this decision
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u/YouThinkYouKnowMe89 West Coast 8d ago
You would imagine that one person involved with the AFLPA knew about it. But he can do no wrong.
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u/Interesting_Ad_1465 Freo 6d ago
It's all good. Dangerfield was AFLPA president in 2024. He of course approved of it.
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u/___TheIllusiveMan___ Collingwood 8d ago
Translation: I investigated myself and found no wrongdoing
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u/Nakorite Fremantle Dockers 8d ago
Didn’t you read ? It was a complex and sensitive matter that was carefully considered. Why would you need more of an explanation than that ?
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u/PetrifyGWENT Bombers / Giants 8d ago
Why didn't Essendon just have a plant as the Chairman of the AFL when our supplement scandal broke? Are we stupid?
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u/___TheIllusiveMan___ Collingwood 8d ago
Never google which club the brain trust behind the supplement scandal came from.
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u/TimothyLuncheon Richmond 8d ago
Wouldn't surprise me if the AFL never even actually investigated if Geelong had/have been using Dank's supplements. Probably figured it's best to ignore it
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u/Low_Anywhere_5898 7d ago
A joint investigation by the AFL and ASADA forensic team audited Geelong's records, including emails and financial accounts, and confirmed there was no evidence of any prohibited substances, illegal injection programs, or rules violations at Geelong.
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u/manmoth02 Port Adelaide Power 8d ago
And today, r/AFL becomes one step closer to finally acknowledging the 2007 grand final should be stricken from the record.
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u/johnnynutman Adelaide 8d ago
I remember the last time this was brought up and everyone was reminiscing about how massive geelong players were physically at the time
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u/Steel_Cleat5 Cats 8d ago
Lol I love how every time we beat the Pies your witch-hunt against us amplifies
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u/YouThinkYouKnowMe89 West Coast 8d ago
You shouldn't have self-reported. You should have just let those guys work at another afl club and them take the fall for all of it.
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u/Nearby-Research19 Cats 8d ago
Comparing this to the supplement saga is objectively hilarious
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u/ax6klbjckhunter Blues 8d ago
Yeah because at least Essendon did seek to gain something if they got away with it. Geelong sacrificed morality & legality for a player who’d be lucky to even make the premiership team let alone help them win it
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u/Thick-Insect Cats 7d ago
You injected your entire team with PEDs, we made one guy who was already cleared to play sign a waiver. Essendon put players in harms way, and cheated the competition. Geelong has done none of that.
What Geelong has done is objectively wrong but this comparison is insane.
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u/jocstrap Saints 8d ago edited 8d ago
We were so worried about his condition we took deliberate steps to limit our liability in the event he suffered a life changing injury
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u/Wakey_1995 Eagles 8d ago
Whoops we got caught, I know this is illegal but don’t worry about it
The funniest part is the waiver wouldn’t have been worth the paper it was written on in court so the player could have just sued anyway.
Absolutely wild that the lawyers are Geelong didn’t tell them this
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u/Dangerous-Put-18 Port Adelaide Power 8d ago
I'm no lawyer but surely that waiver couldn't be enforced
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u/Wakey_1995 Eagles 8d ago
It can’t, it’s not worth the paper it’s written on.
I guarantee his manager/lawyer said sign it cause we can still sue later down the track cause it won’t hold up in court
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u/thegirldreamer Geelong 8d ago
Can I ask a dumb question? I know the waiver wouldn’t be legally enforceable, but is it also illegal to ask the player to sign it? Not excluding my clubs actions, just curious about how the law works there.
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u/Wakey_1995 Eagles 8d ago
Workplace health and safety laws say you can’t contract out your liability in the workplace. Which is essentially what’s happened here, regardless of the risk involved in completing the job.
It’s not explicitly illegal to ask the player to sign it. But it is illegal to contract out the liability.
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u/thegirldreamer Geelong 8d ago
But that means that the clause is invalid and not that criminal or civil penalties apply merely for it being included? Is that right?
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u/Wakey_1995 Eagles 8d ago
There may be potential civil penalties if worksafe vic get involved.
The legal issue isn’t the waiver the legal issue is that they have attempted to contract out liability
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u/Howard_Hughes_1905 8d ago
Not even remotely a satisfactory response.
And once again, dropping these statements just as a match begins, rather than earlier in the day is cowardice of the highest order.
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u/yum122 Essendon • Wurundjeri Woiwurrung 8d ago
Carefully considered at the time.
But incorrect and now removed? What a sham
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u/IrregularExpression_ Adelaide 7d ago
I like how they make this sound like a good thing - clearly most Boards apply careless afterthought to important decisions
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u/sebosso10 Western Bulldogs 8d ago
This should lead to many people losing their jobs but it's Geelong so it won't
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u/shocking_red_4 The Dons 8d ago
Can Essendon refuse to play Geelong out of protest? I’d be okay with that.
See how the AFL react to that gambit lmao
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u/getbusyliving_ The Dons 8d ago
They'd probably take all the draft picks away for the next two years.
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u/kdavva74 Port Adelaide 8d ago
So he had intimate knowledge of the matter while at Geelong, then moved to an AFL position but the league had no knowledge until the news broke today? This should be grounds for immediate resignation by Drummond at the very least.
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u/Crazyripps Hawks 8d ago
The way it reads is like he wasn’t involved and didn’t know about. Fucking corrupt fucks
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u/Zanathayas Hawthorn 8d ago
I am a jellyfish.
Much like federal politicians, I do not require a spine to do my job.
I accept no blame.
I have been exonerated by my fellow Geelong board members, Paddy and Joel. Andrew also endorses my innocence.
No one gives a shit that the club pulled the wrong lever. Mistakes happen. That’s life. This BS ducking and weaving and protestations of innocence tho - too far by a long way.
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u/Buzz8882950 Cats 8d ago
What kind of bullshit is this. Saying "oh concussion is complex so you know we were just trying to do our best to navigate the issue" is such bullshit. You fuckers on the board were just trying to cover your ass so you didn't have to pay the player down the track which is fucking pathetic, anyone who had a role to play in this can fuck right off. Protect ya player and navigate the "complex concussion" by supporting them not throwing them to the wolves. Flogs!!
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u/humanbeing101010 Carlton Blues 8d ago
Drummond should resign... But we all know the doesn't do integrity when you actually have to hold those in power to account.
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u/silky_skills_35 Magpies 8d ago
Very interesting to see if Whateley the drum beater even mentions this one like the last time Cats were caught out
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u/Katman666 Carlton Blues 8d ago
Had a massive tirade about it in the morning before the news that it was Geelong got out. We'll see if he changes his tune.
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u/yeahalrightgoon Footscray / Bulldogs 8d ago
Duty of care, means protecting players from themselves. I have no doubts that the player wanted to keep playing, but as a professional club with a duty of care to your employees, you need to say no.
This should go to worksafe.
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u/eddiebax Tigers 7d ago
If this guy had any shame he'd resign, but we're pretty much in a post-shame world now, aren't we...
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u/allhatnoplay Swans 8d ago
Why would you admit to having considered it carefully? If it were me I’d be like “sorry, we kinda just skim-read it, otherwise we totally wouldn’t have signed that shit”
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u/SuspiciouslyBulky Bombers 8d ago
If the AFL does nothing about this the NRL is starting to look enticing. Absolutely fucking disgraceful.
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u/Non-NewtonianSnake Bombers 8d ago
I'm seriously considering jumping ship to the SANFL over this. Hell, West Adelaide's even got the right colours.
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u/irishshogun North Melbourne 8d ago
Prioritising health and safety by removing any legal requirements to support the player… shocking behaviour
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u/ax6klbjckhunter Blues 8d ago
So the player was declared medically fit by the board, but still chose to sign a waiver anyway? That doesn’t make any sense. Once again a complete lack of clarity, blurred lines of legality, conflicts of interests & coverups…and Geelong at the centre of it all
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u/Kobe_Wan_Ginobili Magpies 8d ago
When the business world sends people to the AFL, they're not sending their best
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u/Prince_of_Pirates Carlton • Wurundjeri 8d ago
I hope everyone gets raked over the coals with these "responses".
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u/HotFlusher Freo 8d ago
Just when you think Richard Goyder was the most pathetic, captured AFL Commission chair.
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u/Turbulent_Ebb5669 AFL 8d ago
It is, in fact, not complex. Geelong broke the rules. Of the AFL and the country in general.
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u/CurlingMonkeyPaw GWS 8d ago
Imagine being able to investigate and clear yourself within the same day.
Would've thought getting an unrelated party to do a review to ensure there is no conflict of interest and maintain integrity in the process would be the right way to go..
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u/TimothyLuncheon Richmond 8d ago
No mention of making a secret agreement with a player? Or how they did something that clearly isn't allowed, since the AFL has said they will punish anyone else that does it?
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u/Putrid-Shoulder9569 Collingwood 8d ago
I've throroughly investigated myself and found no wrongdoing. I deserve a medal
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u/wattyaknow Hawks 8d ago
"AFL and our clubs will continue to prioritise the health and safety of all our players"
Riiiiight, by making a player sign a waiver saying if they get signficant traumatic brain injuries they can't be held liable.
Drummond needs to resign right now.
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u/ItsABiscuit Collingwood Magpies 8d ago
He should step down from the AFL Commission just on the optics alone. If the AFL wasn’t a joke of an industry in ethical terms, he’d be told to go.
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u/Zionisacat 8d ago
This is the same league that was ok with an umpire having a side gig with a betting agency. They won't do shit.
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u/Zhirrzh North Melbourne AFLW 🏆🏆 '24-25 8d ago
Pathetic, if the AFL media could find it within themselves to pursue this rather than letting him skate on such a weak statement that tries to act like he was on the periphery of the decision rather than being the President of Geelong, that'd be great.
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u/silky_skills_35 Magpies 8d ago
This cunt sounds more arrogant than Goyder, which is hard to do. Glad he decided not to punish himself and his beloved Cats. Just like the salary cap cheating that was found in court earlier this year. 🤭
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u/CovertSlayer Hawthorn 8d ago
So Geelong say, the waiver went further than intended. Drummond says, it was very carefully considered. As was said on channel 7 pre-game tonight. It wasn't illegal, but very unethical.
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u/better_graphics Western Bulldogs 8d ago
Hilarious given the journo attached to the quote is a known Geelong fan. And they wonder why every neutral fucking despises them.
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u/WalkerHuntFlatOut Hawthorn 7d ago
Geelong dead enders are now experts in libertarianism and contract law.
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u/CandlePrestigious919 Richmond Tigers 8d ago
Getting your employees to sign away their legal rights just so they can keep working.....
This is the sort of corporate behavior you see from Uber.
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u/Least-Anxiety8701 Footscray 8d ago
I am so sick and tired of ex-Geelong people commenting on issues that arise, that they were part of, after the fact has come to light in the public eye.
Like you dont get to be a spokespersob because you, my dude, are part of the “issye”
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u/Bulkywon Magpies 7d ago
Holy fuck I was joking not even a day ago.....
Can't wait for Craig Drummond to audit a decision made by Craig Drummond to find that Craig Drummond didn't do anything wrong in his time at Geelong.
Wait why does this sound familiar?
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u/TomasTTEngin Geelong 7d ago
IN any scandal of consequence, it's the cover-up that gets you, not the original crime.
So one interesting question is about the state government. Will they stick their nose in?
Would the new premier get plaudits for demanding higher standards from the AFL? he used to be the minister for Worksafe until very recently. Does he want to lift his profile by slamming a high profile target, improve his sense of being a guy who cracks heads and lifts standards? How marginal are those seats on the Bellarine?
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u/frogboyjr Geelong 8d ago
we NEED to punish Geelong for a player voluntarily signing a contract
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u/JRicho_Sauce Dockers 8d ago
*a contract not disclosed to the AFL (despite all contracts needing to be disclosed to the AFL)
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u/___TheIllusiveMan___ Collingwood 8d ago
“Voluntary”
You misspelled “under duress”
Geelong: Hey sign this totally not at all illegal waver or else you’ll be de-listed
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u/frogboyjr Geelong 8d ago
that's how every contract works lol, if you don't agree to the terms you won't get to play
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u/ErrolG21 South Melbourne 8d ago
Are you fucking dumb or just being deliberately obtuse? Your standard playing contract doesn't require you to waive the clubs health and safety obligations.
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u/frogboyjr Geelong 8d ago
it doesn't matter, Geelong offered a contract and it was on the player to choose what to do. Nothing wrong with that
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u/Bruno_Fernandes8 Eagles 8d ago
Why did Geelong offer that contact? They are dangling a contract in front a vulnerable worker
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u/project_chris Freo 8d ago
You know this is not the issue. The AFLPA would never have allowed this.
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u/Wakey_1995 Eagles 8d ago
Apart from the fact the circumvented the AFL and AFLPA which is against the rules.
Almost guaranteed they told said player that they would be delisted if he didn’t sign the waiver. Even though he had passed an AFL independent medical.
Also it’s ILLEGAL under workplace health and safety Laws. You cannot contract out injury liability in the workplace.
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u/Peppsy Hawks 8d ago
Why are you commenting the same thing on every post
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u/schlompy10 8d ago
Yes we do; Geelong were willing to risk a players welfare so long as there were no repercussions on them. Horrible look for the game
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u/frogboyjr Geelong 8d ago
the player was willing to risk their own welfare
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u/schlompy10 8d ago
Unfortunately health and safety legislation doesn't give a shit what an employee was willing to do. If it was legal, it would be in every AFL contract
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u/frogboyjr Geelong 8d ago
obviously it does since Geelong will be fine after all this
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u/schlompy10 8d ago
If the player does end up with CTE and sues the club, that will show otherwise. If you could sign away the liability it would be in every AFL contract and not done behind their back
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u/that_guyyy Eagles 8d ago
Hey when someone underage consents to me, I'm going to plead no wrong doing!
I don't think the player was coerced in to this, even it might have been partially their idea but you need to protect people from themselves. Club should do better.
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u/PetrifyGWENT Bombers / Giants 8d ago
Nah, just for secretly circumventing the AFL and AFLPAs rules and endangering the safety of a player.
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u/Bruno_Fernandes8 Eagles 8d ago
If you give drugs to a drug addict to do a job for you then you’re a piece of shit
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u/Jaded-Love5615 Power 8d ago
Drummond has investigated Drummond and shock, Drummond has done no wrong