Collingwood's Jack Crisp says his illegal AFL bet last year was a case of absent-mindedness.
AFL players, coaches and senior officials are prohibited from betting on the sport but Crisp wagered $129 on a multibet that involved the AFL.
The 21-year-old, who left Brisbane and joined the Magpies as part of the Dayne Beams deal, was last month fined $5000 and ordered to undergo counselling.
Speaking publicly for the first time since the sanctions were handed down, Crisp was sheepish about his slip-up.
"It was obviously a big mistake. It shouldn't have been done," he told the AFL website.
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"It was just a lapse in my thinking because I'd forgotten completely about it until I got reminded.
"I felt pretty bad and awful of course."
Crisp accepted his punishment was fair but opined that gambling education for AFL players could be better.
"It doesn't stick clear in your head, especially when you come into the AFL system. You get bombarded with information," he explained.
"We should be getting told about it more instead of once a year.
"That way no one does the embarrassing thing like I did."
