Geelong to face significant financial sanction over concussion waiver

The Geelong Football Club are expected to face a penalty upwards of $100,000 over their secret concussion waiver with veteran defender Jake Kolodjashnij.

It was revealed by The Herald Sun on Thursday that the defender signed a waiver with the Cats in 2024 that released them from any legal risk for any future concussions/head trauma.

The AFL have since issued a 'please explain', with a full investigation into the deal set to commence in the coming days.

As reported by Fox Footy's Jay Clark, the club can expect a serious penalty over the secret deal, with a significant financial sanction expected.

"Geelong is a club in crisis off the field as it deals with the devastating fallout of that secret concussion waiver with Jake Kolodjashnij," Clark told Fox Footy on Saturday night.

"Geelong can expect a whopping six-figure fine for breaching legal rules for signing a player to a brain trauma contract in attempt to strip him of his legal rights.

"This goes higher - to the top office of the AFL, because Commission Chairman Craig Drummond is under pressure to resign.

"He was President when the deal was struck at Geelong in 2024. Now that he leads the AFL, it's fair to say that after speaking to some of the most senior club figures around the league that faith and confidence around Drummond's leadership has seriously plummeted.

"How can you sit in judgement of clubs and misdemeanour, health and safety policy when you have seen not only a really dodgy deal, but then kept it secret from the AFL and the PA at the time.

"It puts him in an untenable position. His authority has seriously diminished."

"Mistakes have been made": Dillon reveals scope of AFL's please explain to Geelong

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon has spoken following the confirmation of Jake Kolodjashnij's secret concussion waiver with Geelong.

It’s been a whirlwind 48 hours for the AFL following the revelation on Thursday that the 30-year-old had signed a waiver with the Cats that released them from any legal risk for any future concussions/head trauma that he suffered while playing.

The AFL and the AFLPA were unaware of this waiver, despite it having been in place since 2024.

Following the confirmation of the deal, it has sparked widespread condemnation, with AFLPA CEO James Gallagher stating that it should not exist.

After coming to light, Geelong CEO Steve Hocking confirmed that the club has been issued a please explain by the AFL over the undisclosed contract and has removed the waiver from the defender's contract.

Speaking on SEN’s Crunch Time, Dillon revealed the scope of what the please explain will look into alongside the potential punishment Geelong could face.

“Under the AFL rules and regulations, agreements that affect contracts are required to be lodged with the AFL,” he stated.

“We've written to Geelong asking them why the document wasn't lodged with the AFL.

“We've heard from the current chairman of Geelong and also the CEO yesterday saying that was, I think, a fail or a misstep and so a mistake in the process.

“So, we're waiting to hear back from Geelong, and we'll hear back from them early in the week.

"In terms of the lodger, there's some (punishments) that have got a maximum on them of 20,000 (dollars), but there's other provisions that have got sanction at large.

"But I don't want to get into speculating about where that might go until we hear back from Geelong formally.

"I'm expecting that we'll hear back from them early in the week on that one."

Asked whether the waiver was a breach of the AFL rules, the CEO did acknowledge that it was but didn't want to pre-empt what level of breach it could be.

And had the AFL and AFLPA been aware, there would have been plenty of questions surrounding it's nature.

"It is if you look at it specifically," Dillon explained.

"I think there's technically, and again, (I) don't wanna get ahead of where the sanction or the rules might go, but anything that looks to be inconsistent with the collective agreement would have to be at least lodged with the AFL.

"Geelong have acknowledged that by saying not lodging it with the AFL and ultimately the AFLPA being across it has been a failure.

"You can't go into hypotheticals, but I know what would have happened is that there would've been questions asked and the AFLPA would've been involved, I know that for sure."

Dillon also expressed disappointment in how the situation has arrived to this position.

But since it has come out, Dillon has remarked at how Geelong has owned the situation since it has come to light.

"Look, I wish we weren't here," he added.

"I think the ownership that Steve (Hocking) has taken, I think Craig (Drummond's) statement that he's put out earlier today, I think Grant McCabe (President of Geelong)...I think Geelong are owning it.

"And mistakes have been made, but they've been owned, and I think that's also as important."

Geelong will feature on Saturday at GMHBA Stadium where they'll host Essendon.