Geelong CEO Steve Hocking has taken full responsibility for the club's failure to lodge a secret concussion waiver with the AFL, calling it a "misstep". The AFL has issued a please explain letter to the club over the revelation, which was made public on Thursday.
The waiver, signed by an undisclosed player in 2024, was designed to protect the club and its medical staff from legal action over future brain trauma. The player agreed to take on legal responsibility for any future concussion-related issues.
Hocking admits oversight
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Hocking admitted the club should have informed both the AFL and the AFL Players' Association about the document. "I take responsibility for the fact that we didn't lodge it with the AFL and the PA," he said. Asked if there was a reason for the omission, Hocking replied: "No, there's no reason, it was just a misstep in the process."
Hocking confirmed the player would remain anonymous, saying: "The player's been through a lot already, and we're mindful of that as a football club. Quite clearly, some of the decision-making has dragged him into that, so we're conscious of that. But no, at this point in time, the player would prefer to be confidential."
No fears for position
Hocking expressed confidence in his position at the Cats despite the controversy. "I'm quite confident, I've got a board that's very supportive," he said. "As I said, I'll take full responsibility for it, I'm CEO of the Geelong Football Club, and we'll work through it over the coming week, as we have been over the last couple of days."
He added that the AFL's decision on any further action would be respected: "Whatever the AFL decide to do from here is up to them. I have received a please explain letter from the AFL in relation to this matter, so we'll deal with that over the coming days."
Complex and unique case
Hocking said the agreement was the result of a two-month process involving the player's representatives, including his family and the club's medical team. The AFL, in a statement on Thursday, described it as a "complex and unique case" and said it was "satisfied that the letter was not used by Geelong to allow a medically unfit player to return to play".
Geelong also issued a statement, confirming 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 statement read.
AFL Commission chair involved
New AFL Commission chair Craig Drummond was president of the Geelong board when the deal was struck, but he was not mentioned in the AFL statement. Drummond declined to front the media, issuing a three-line statement on Thursday night calling concussion a "challenging medical and legal issue for all contact sports globally".
