Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has admitted he would have signed a 'concussion waiver' during his playing days if it meant prolonging his career, as the AFL and Geelong continue to face questions over their handling of a secret concussion deal.
The Cats avoided any sanction from the AFL for making a deal with a player who had a history of concussions that required him to assume all legal responsibility for future brain trauma. Geelong had a secret arrangement in 2024, revealed on Thursday, with an undisclosed player who signed the agreement to exonerate the club and its medical staff from future court action.
AFL responds to the controversy
Calling it a “complex and unique case”, the AFL insisted it was “satisfied that the letter was not used by Geelong to allow a medically unfit player to return to play”. The Cats also issued a statement, saying they would remove the waiver from the contract.
“The club was not attempting to vary the terms of the AFL standard playing contract, or attempting to avoid its responsibilities under health and safety laws,” the Geelong statement read.
Beveridge speaks on concussion
When asked about the bombshell revelation, Beveridge spoke generally about concussion rather than commenting directly on the Cats’ case.
“I think every player wants to keep playing until your boots fall off,” Beveridge said after the Bulldogs’ shock loss to North Melbourne. “All I know that when I was playing, we all had concussions, and if I had to sign a waiver to keep playing, I would have.”
“We’re so careful with our players now. The way we train, as far as the duty of care goes, we really look after them.”
Clarkson and Drummond respond
Kangaroos coach Alastair Clarkson, who earlier this year sprayed insurance company Zurich for rejecting concussion insurance claims, feigned ignorance and insisted he knew nothing about Geelong’s case. New AFL Commission chair Craig Drummond was the president of the Geelong board at the time the deal was struck. Drummond was not mentioned in the statement from the AFL. Deciding not to front the media, Drummond issued a three-line statement on Thursday night calling concussion a “challenging medical and legal issue for all contact sports globally”.
Impact on players and legal action
Multiple AFL players, including former Melbourne star Angus Brayshaw, champion West Coast defender Jeremy McGovern, premiership Magpie Nathan Murphy and former No.1 pick Paddy McCartin, were forced into retirement due to repeated concussions. Several deceased players, including Danny Frawley, Shane Tuck and Graham ‘Polly’ Farmer, were posthumously diagnosed with degenerative brain disease Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). There is also a multimillion-dollar concussion class action case against the AFL, led by former Geelong defender Max Rooke, in the Supreme Court of Victoria that is set to go to trial next year.
