AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon has delivered a damming verdict of Carlton’s handling of Elijah Hollands’ mental health episode during a game.
Hollands, 24, has been on the sidelines since his erratic behaviour during an April 16 match against Collingwood.
The Blues were found to have brought the game into disrepute by their treatment of the 24-year-old.
Along with the criticism, Carlton also received a hefty $75,000 fine after the lengthy review came to its conclusion.
The Blues were found to have brought the game into disrepute by their treatment of the 24-year-old. Their fine will be paid to the AFL’s mental health partner, Headspace.
The AFL has also made it mandatory for every club to employ a full-time psychologist.
Andrew Dillon blasted Carlton over their handling of Elijah Hollands’ on-field mental health episode
Carlton were also handed a hefty $75,000 fine despite head coach Michael Voss’ strong defence of his club
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
The decision to hand down the fine was made following the league’s own inquiry after receiving Carlton’s report.
‘We found that there was sufficient visual cues, performance data, during the match, and an understanding of Elijah’s individual circumstances, to indicate that he should have been removed from play earlier than he was,’ Dillon told reporters in Melbourne.Â
‘The delay … resulted in an outcome that brought the game into disrepute. These findings have been made against the Carlton Football Club collectively, not against any individual.’Â
‘What transpired during the game was something we haven’t seen before.Â
‘The incident has highlighted something important for our game. Whilst our physical injury protocols are strong and well understood, mental health presentations can be variable and are complex.
‘That means we need to strengthen and standardise how we respond on match day to acute mental health episodes.’
Hollands was admitted to hospital in the days following the Collingwood match, where he managed just one disposal and seemed out of sorts.
Hollands had previously spoken of his mental health issues and his coach Michael Voss claimed Carlton were being ‘bullied.’
The official ruling from the AFL board comes just a week after club doctor Matt Chamberlain took personal leave over the incident.
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,’ Tom Morris told the Agenda Setters.
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.’
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