AFL Chair Craig Drummond has issued a public apology over a secret agreement made by Geelong Football Club with defender Jake Kolodjashnij in 2024. Drummond admitted the club went too far by including a waiver in the player’s informed consent document. The agreement was signed while Drummond served as president of Geelong, a role he held during the time the deal was made. Kolodjashnij, who is now 30 years old, took on legal responsibility for future brain injuries as part of the agreement. The AFL initially said it was satisfied that the letter did not allow an unfit player to return to play. However, Geelong later confirmed it had received a ‘please explain’ from the AFL before Kolodjashnij came forward.
Geelong CEO Steve Hocking said he participated in the AFL’s independent concussion panel process and respected its outcome, according to ABC News Australia. Hocking also expressed disappointment that his private medical information had been made public. Drummond acknowledged the club’s actions were inappropriate and said the waiver would be removed from the document, according to a report from afl.com.au. He also emphasized that the player was medically cleared to return and that discussions included his family, doctors, and insurers. Despite the agreement, Drummond said it did not remove legal protections for Kolodjashnij under health and safety laws.
The AFL has said it will formally hear back from Geelong soon regarding the matter. AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon did not say whether Drummond should step down from his role during the investigation. Dillon described the situation as complex and said the AFL was gathering information from Geelong before making any decisions. He also noted that Geelong had taken ownership of the situation, with CEO Steve Hocking and others speaking publicly.
Geelong coach Chris Scott said his players were not affected by the controversy, as the team beat Essendon in a recent match. Scott added that it was difficult to determine whether anything had changed among the players due to the situation.
The AFL has not yet issued any formal sanctions against Geelong for the actions taken in 2024. Drummond confirmed he would not be involved in any future deliberations about the case under AFL rules and regulations.
IMAGE: Potpart / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The incident has raised questions about how clubs handle medical consent and concussion-related agreements in the future.