UPDATE
Steven May has addressed the incident with Melbourne teammate Jake Melksham that saw him receive a one-match suspension by the club.
“(I’m) just extremely disappointed,” May told Melbourne Media.
“I know I’ve let a lot of people down, especially myself and the footy club, through uncharacteristic actions.
“I’ve done a lot of work to try and build respect and trust at the footy club, and I’m disappointed these actions don’t reflect that.
“Just a bad mistake, a bad error of judgement, (which) unfortunately has consequences.”
May continued: “We’re really good mates, we have a lot of love for each other.
“Sometimes guys can get a little bit competitive with the banter and go a little bit overboard.
“We certainly made an error of judgement in that time.
“We certainly didn’t mean for any of this to come back on the footy club.
“We’ve told our teammates we’re all fine – don’t feel like you have to pick sides or anything because we’re still good friends.
“It was just a silly decision that we made and deeply regret already.”
EARLIER
Melbourne star defender Steven May has been suspended for one game by the club for getting in a physical altercation with teammate Jake Melksham.
The club has confirmed the pair were out drinking at a dinner on Sunday night before a “light-hearted disagreement between the pair escalated”.
May was not supposed to be drinking while in concussion protocols, hence the suspension.
This makes him unavailable to play on Queen’s Birthday.
Read the club’s full statement from GM of Football Alan Richardson below:
“Following a dinner on Sunday evening, Jake and Steven informed us of a scuffle that took place after a lighthearted disagreement between the pair escalated.”
“Both Jake and Steven had been drinking at dinner and are incredibly remorseful that things played out the way they did.
“Given Steven is still under the AFL concussion protocols from Round 11, he was aware that under club guidelines he should not have been drinking.
“The leadership group has recommended to impose a one-match ban on Steven, a decision which has been endorsed by the club’s broader leadership. This will make him unavailable for both AFL and VFL selection.
“Steven and Jake will also complete community service through one of the club’s community partners to ensure they understand the responsibility and impact they have as role models within the community.
“Over the past three years, Steven has developed into one of our most important on-field leaders, and while the impact of not having him available for selection is significant, what is more significant to us is our culture and the commitment we have to live by our values.
“Steven is extremely remorseful and accepts his actions were completely out of step with the expectations the club and his teammates have of him. He accepts the sanction handed down and makes no excuse for his poor judgement.
“We are proud of the culture we have built over the past few years and while we are disappointed with Steven’s behaviour, we back in his character and will support him to ensure he is armed to make better decisions for himself and the football club moving forward.”