SA Police clear Hawk coach Clarkson

South Australia Police have cleared Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson over his physical clash with a drunken AFL fan in Adelaide.

Hawthorn AFL coach Alastair Clarkson

Police have cleared Hawthorn AFL coach Alastair Clarkson over his physical clash with a drunken fan. (AAP)

Police have cleared Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson of any wrongdoing in his clash with a drunken AFL fan in Adelaide.

Clarkson clashed with a fan while walking back to his Adelaide hotel following Hawthorn's defeat to Port Adelaide on Anzac Day.

"It has been determined that no further action will be taken by South Australia Police. SA Police consider this matter to be finalised," SA Police said in a statement on Wednesday.

Video taken of the incident showed Clarkson push a man by the throat.

Clarkson said the time the man had been goading him as he walked back to the team hotel.

"Having been confronted and threatened by a group of intoxicated men and after politely asking several times for some space, I regret that I pushed away one particular individual," Clarkson said at the time.

"While the behaviour of the group was antagonistic, aggressive and completely unwarranted, I wish that I had continued to walk away and removed myself from the situation."

AFL football operations manager Mark Evans described the incident as regrettable, adding the league would await the police investigation outcome before taking any action.

South Australian deputy police commissioner Grant Stevens said the police prosecution branch had determined there was insufficient evidence to proceed against Clarkson.

"Our obligation is to ensure that matters that go to court have a reasonable prosect of conviction," he told reporters.

"The independent assessment by our prosecutors, separate from the investigators, was that that was not the case and we have not proceeded on that basis."


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Source: AAP


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