AFL boss Craig Drummond apologises over Geelong concussion waiver: ‘The club went too far’

The AFL Commission chair and former Geelong president, Craig Drummond, has apologised for “the mistakes made in this very complex situation” over the secret concussion deal the Cats made with player Jake Kolodjashnij.

Drummond also confirmed he will not be involved in any AFL assessment of the case, which emerged on Thursday, while the AFL chief executive, Andrew Dillon, refused to say on Saturday whether the commission chair should stand down from his position during the investigation.

Dillon expects Geelong to formally respond by early next week after the AFL issued the club a “please explain” for the secret deal made with Kolodjashnij.

Geelong struck an agreement with Kolodjashnij in 2024, when he took on legal responsibility for any potential future head trauma.

Drummond, who became commission chair in March, was Geelong’s president and on the club board at the time the deal was signed.

“I was president of the Geelong football club in 2024,” the AFL chairman said.

“This was an extremely complex and sensitive matter, and obligations to both the player and the club were very carefully considered by the Geelong board.

“Jake’s welfare was central to all discussions and I have been thinking of him particularly over the past few days.

“While the player was medically cleared to play, the club engaged in lengthy discussions including with him, his family, doctors and insurers about his future and the potential risks of returning to play.

“Regardless of the player’s agreement, the club went too far in adding a waiver into an informed consent document and it will be removed.”

The club scrapped the waiver on Thursday, while the AFL released a statement the same day saying it did not approve the deal.

The AFL did not penalise Geelong though the Cats’ chief executive, Steve Hocking, did not rule out a sanction while taking responsibility for Kolodjashnij’s waiver on Friday.

Kolodjashnij went public on Friday evening to defend the club that he has now played 200 AFL matches with and the process that led to him continuing his career.

Drummond said the waiver did not remove Kolodjashnij’s protections as a player under statutory health and safety laws.

“As the club has also acknowledged, there was also a process failure in relation to lodgement of the agreement with the AFL and the AFLPA [AFL Players’ Association],” Drummond said.

“I have not and will not be involved in any deliberation in relation to this matter and its assessment under the AFL rules and regulations.

“I apologise for the mistakes made in this very complex situation.”

Dillon said the situation was “complex” while speaking on radio on Saturday.

“What we’ve got here is an issue we’re dealing with and it’s at the AFL executive level – Craig hasn’t been involved in any deliberations,” Dillon said on 3AW.

“We’re getting information from Geelong and then we’ll deal with it that way. I’m the CEO and I take the responsibility.”

Dillon said earlier on Saturday that he believed the Cats were “owning the situation”.

“The ownership that Steve has taken, Craig’s statement that he’s put out earlier, Grant McCabe [Geelong’s current president],” he said on SEN.

“Mistakes have been made but they’ve been owned, and I think that’s also as important.”

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