The Elijah Hollands saga has taken another twist as club doctor Matt Chamberlain has taken personal leave while the investigation continues.
It has also been reported that the well-respected medical professional is considering his legal options.
The news of Chamberlain’s leave came as the AFL said they would take their time with the ‘delicate’ situation.
Carlton has, to this point fully cooperated with the AFL, handing in their own report into Hollands’ health episode two weeks ago.
Hollands had been admitted to hospital in the days after he had confronted on the on-field incident, but that has not slowed the criticism of the way Carlton has handled the situation.
The majority of which has fallen on the medical staff, with Chamberlain bearing the brunt.
Carlton star Elijah Hollands had told the club he was struggling with his mental health ahead of their clash with Collingwood but wanted to play
Michael Voss has jumped to the defence of his club but club doctor Matt Chamberlain has taken personal leave
The AFL confirmed it has received Carlton’s report and will be taking their time with the investigation
Channel 7’s Tom Morris told the Agenda Setters, ‘I can reveal tonight that their club doctor, a very respected medical professional, Dr Matt Chamberlain, took leave on the weekend, personal leave, as a result of this saga,’ he reported on The Agenda Setters.
‘I’ve spoken to the Blues. They couldn’t confirm that he’d be even back this weekend for Carlton’s game. They hope he’s back as soon as possible, but they couldn’t confirm that as well.
‘Now, in addition to that, I also understand that Chamberlain is considering his legal options should the AFL investigation come back in a way that dissatisfies him or potentially paints him in a light that he thinks is unfair.’
Caroline Wilson, also speaking on the Agenda Setters, added, ‘It’s always been put to me that this was very much a medical investigation that was being carried out,’ she said.
‘It’s been led by Laura Kane. Now, she’s not only the footy operations boss, but she really runs all the medical side of things where footy is concerned.
‘So I think that the doctors feel they’ve been targeted, and we heard Michael Voss, leap to everyone’s defence, really, the other day in a press conference that I felt missed the mark in many areas.
‘But he was passionate in defending his staff, and I think probably he was talking about the doctors as much as anyone else.’
The reaction from the media and former players’ prompted head coach Michael Voss to leap to the defence of his club, claiming they had been ‘bullied’ by the media.
‘I think our people have been bullied and we bully for outcomes,’ he said.
‘All I need to say is we need to take into consideration the people who are involved in this. This impacts families. It affects a lot of people.
‘I’m proud of my people and the process will take care of itself. We need to put our support behind that.’
AFL general manager of football performance Greg Swann confirmed that there would be no rush for an outcome into their investigation after Carlton submitted their report.
‘There’s no rush on this. This is a really delicate matter … I haven’t seen anything play out like this, like it has publicly in this instance,’ Swann said on Monday.
‘So it will take as long as it does.’
Ahead of Carlton submitting their report it emerged Hollands had informed the club he was struggling with his mental health in the lead-up to the match, but expressed a desire to continue playing.
He had also voluntarily undergone drug testing and medical screenings in the aftermath, telling the club his behaviour was not linked to alcohol or illicit substances.
Former Carlton star Sam Docherty said he was struggling to understand how the situation unfolded.
‘I just feel like he’s been really let down by Carlton and the AFL more broadly,’ Docherty said on 3AW.
‘As a kid that has had his struggles, he’s been very open. He took time off football, not too far off this time last year.
‘I just look at some of the systems and stuff that should have been in the background around how to care for him and make sure this type of event didn’t come up.
‘We’re treating it as the mental health episode at the moment. And just from that perspective, I just can’t fathom how he was out there for so long.
‘If you wrap it up in any form, of whether it’s Carlton or if it’s the AFL with the ARC, I don’t understand how someone hasn’t stepped in.
‘The moment when he said that, that we knew something wasn’t right, that’s the bit for me.
‘I was like, OK, so we’re actually outside the argument of did we know or didn’t we know, did we not know?
‘You knew something wasn’t right. Then you start asking questions. Why didn’t anyone actually do anything about it?
‘I think he’s a terrific kid and I know he’s going through his battles, but it’s hard to watch as an ex-teammate, let alone a media person.’
