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TRANSCRIPT:
"This can't be a public event. It's a private challenge. So what we'll treat it as that: privacy and we'll respect it.”
That's Carlton coach Michael Voss.
He was speaking after questions were raised about the behaviour of Blues player Elijah Hollands during the Collingwood and Carlton match on April 16 - including why Hollands was not taken off the field until the 20-minute mark of the final quarter .
Voss has said the club was supportive of Hollands in the immediate aftermath of the game - and has been well before too.
"Elijah - two years ago or thereabouts - showed enormous courage to come forward and talk about his challenges and his issues. And we all know that that's the sort of first point that's the most significant, almost. The last couple of years haven't been smooth sailing for him or us. But what we have done - and our team of people have done - is provided amazing mentoring, counselling, guidance, specialist and professionals both inside and out."
In the days after the Carlton-Collingwood match, Hollands was admitted to hospital, and Carlton produced a report for the AFL.
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon says they've now decided to fine the club $75,000 for how everything went down.
"Having reviewed Carlton's report and having conducted other inquiries, we found that there was sufficient visual cues, performance data during the match, and an understanding of Elijah's individual circumstances, to indicate that he should have been removed from play earlier than he was. We also determined that the delay in removing Elijah from the field resulted in an outcome that brought the game into disrepute."
Andrew Dillon and league football operations manager Laura Kane would not discuss many details of the investigation, citing medical confidentiality.
But Mr Dillon says lessons can be learned by everyone as a result of this situation.
"Whilst our physical injury protocols are strong and well understood, mental health presentations are variable and can be complex. That means we need to continue to strengthen and standardise how we respond on match day to acute mental health episodes."
Laura Kane says to begin with, the league will bring in psychologists at every club.
"We will implement the appointment of full time psychologists or the equivalent across our AFL and AFLW programs, with industry consultation in relation to that initiative, commencing immediately."
Laura Kane says the AFL will also implement several other changes around mental health care in the game, as a result of the investigation.
"We'll establish an AFL health and wellbeing governance committee that advises the AFL industry on health governance related matters... We will develop industry-wide standards relating to psychological fitness to play, with best practice guidelines and incident management and review system. We will conduct a review of club football department SOFCA policies, pertaining specifically to health care mechanisms that sit within that policy. We will expand mental health literacy across all staff in our football departments - AFL and AFLW. And we will host a mental health roundtable with our media partners, in partnership with Black Dog Institute and the Danny Frawley community in the leadup to SPUDs game."
Carlton has accepted the findings of the AFL's review, and says it will pay the fine.
The $75,000 penalty will be donated by the club to headspace, which is the league's mental health partner.
The club has also released a statement saying it continues to support its player.
STATEMENT: "Our support for Elijah comes from a place of genuine care and understanding of him and the challenges he has been experiencing. Our club stands in unwavering support of its medical and wellbeing staff, who continue to conduct themselves with the highest level of professionalism, integrity, and genuine care for all our players and staff. We accept the outcome in the interest of enabling all parties to move forward, while continuing to ensure the health and wellbeing of our people remains a priority."
If you or someone you know needs support, call Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Embrace Multicultural Mental Health supports people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
And for culturally appropriate Indigenous support call 13 YARN... a 24 hour national telephone helpline on 13 92 76 which provides support across a range of issues including mental health. https://www.13yarn.org.au/
