Caroline Wilson has questioned St Kilda’s handling of Sam Fisher’s off-field problems and Nick Riewoldt’s criticism of the AFL Players’ Association.
Speaking on Fox Footy, Riewoldt urged the AFL and the players’ union to provide better support for players as they transition out of the game.
It comes after Fisher was charged with regularly trafficking large quantities of illicit drugs across state borders last week. The 39-year-old is being held in police custody.
Riewoldt says players exiting the AFL “is the greatest issue facing the game”.
The former St Kilda captain told Fox Footy’s On The Couch on Monday night: “Enough is enough. There are not a lot of Sam Fisher-type incidents that we’re hearing about now, but there are a lot of players that are slipping through the cracks.
“When they come out the other side, their lives are ending up in pretty horrific conditions. So let this be the line in the sand, enough is enough moment.”
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Wilson accused Riewoldt and the Saints of looking to “pass the buck” to the players’ association regarding Fisher’s plight.
“He talked about the responsibility of teammates and leaders in the team helping Sam Fisher when he was playing at St Kilda,” Wilson said on Don’t Shoot The Messenger podcast.
“But he basically called on the players’ association to do more for players as they’re leaving the game.
“St Kilda knew about Sam Fisher’s issues long before this story came out. St Kilda knew that he was mixing with some people he shouldn’t have been mixing with.
“I actually wrote a story saying that he needed to be dropped from the leadership group and almost in defiance of that conversation around Sam Fisher, the administration and football administration at the time made him a developing leader. They just didn’t want a journo to be right.
“This was just wrong.
“Everyone knew what Sam Fisher was doing. Everyone was worried about him. I just think it’s a bit much to pass the buck to the players’ association when somebody gets in as deep as Sam Fisher has clearly got. I think that’s a bit rough of Nick Riewoldt. He was captain at the time.
“He says he puts his head on the pillow and knows he did everything he could … OK Nick, you did everything you could, but don’t point the finger at other people.”
AFL Players’ Association CEO Paul Marsh told SEN Breakfast that it has to be a “joint responsibility” between clubs and the AFLPA to support players transitioning out of the game.
Fisher retired at the end of 2016 after playing 228 games for the Saints.