AFL club Geelong under scrutiny over alleged concussion deal with player

The Geelong Cats have been named as the club behind a reported deal with a player – who had suffered a history of concussion – that would allow the them to keep playing if the club was protected from future liabilities.

On Thursday morning, The Herald Sun first reported the arrangement without naming the club, but by the afternoon the Cats had been identified by multiple media outlets. The club has been contacted for comment.

AFL Players’ Association chief executive James Gallagher said the reported deal could be in breach of both competition rules and Australian law. “The game has a duty to provide a workplace that protects the health, safety, and wellbeing of players and all clubs hold this duty as employers,” he said.

“Clubs cannot unilaterally contract out of their obligations under the CBA and standard playing contract, nor attempt to avoid their responsibilities under health and safety laws.

“Importantly, no player is permitted to return to play or train unless they have been deemed medically fit to do so. We’re in discussions with the AFL to better understand the circumstances of this case and ensure this issue isn’t replicated further at the elite level.”

The Herald Sun reported of the so-called “secret deal”, made two years ago, with a player who had suffered multiple concussions to assume legal responsibility for any on-field brain injury, adding the arrangement was cleared by the board.

Former West Coast premiership coach Adam Simpson told SEN the report shocked him.

“It’s hard to really fathom how you would get to the conclusion that this is a good thing to do, and how it goes up the chain?” he said. “I can’t see how you would accept that is the right thing to do for your son or your player.”

Geelong’s chair at the time was Craig Drummond, who has subsequently been appointed chair of the AFL Commission.

The AFL and Geelong have been contacted for comment.

Brain health, concussion and CTE represent an existential threat for the AFL, which has taken steps in recent years to make the game safer and prevent brain injury.

A class action brought by lead plaintiff Max Rooke, a former Geelong player, has been in Victorian courts for more than two years, and now includes former Cats doctors who may be exposed to liabilities for their actions since 1985. The matter, which includes more than 100 former AFL players, is expected to go to trial next year.

This year, independent doctors watching games were given greater powers to remove a concussed player from the field. The responsibility previously fell on club doctors.

That was one recommendation made under the coronial inquest into the death of Shane Tuck in 2023. Another was to limit contact training sessions, which is set to be applied for the first time in the coming pre-season.