The AFL Appeals Board revealed its James Sicily appeal verdict on Monday evening, choosing to uphold the three-game suspension sanctioned by the AFL Tribunal.

The decision was reached after a three-hour total-duration hearing.

The decision means the Hawks' skipper will miss Hawthorn's next three contests, coming against the Gold Coast Suns in Round 15, Carlton in Round 16, and the GWS Giants in Round 17, and will be available for selection in Round 18.

Sicily's act, a tackle on Brisbane's Hugh McCluggage that conveyed a slinging motion and resultantly concussed the Lions midfielder, was referred directly to the Tribunal two Sundays ago, following Hawthorn's Round 13 victory over the Brisbane Lions.

The grading of Sicily's tackle, deemed by the Tribunal to be careless conduct with high contact and severe impact, was challenged by the Hawks, however, they were unsuccessful in their initial defence.

A week ago, the Tribunal released the following summary of the incident.

"James Sicily lunged at Hugh McCluggage and tackled him by the right upper thigh/hip and the left arm. He clung on and rotated McCluggage across his body.

"His teammate Tyler Brockman leapt across the back of the rotating McCluggage and made contact with him.

"But Sicily kept clinging on to McCluggage and kept rotating him. We do not accept that Brockman's involvement caused an otherwise safe tackle to be dangerous.

"Sicily continued to rotate McCluggage, pulling down on his left arm and pinning his left arm, causing this tackle to be dangerous. He could have released the left arm, had he done so McCluggage would not have been rotated across his body and into the ground with such force.

"Accordingly, we find this was a dangerous tackle.

"We did not accept that there are exceptional and compelling circumstances here. Two matters were raised. As to the first, it may be that Brockman's involvement changed the force of the impact, but we can't be sufficiently satisfied as to the extent. If Brockman wasn't there, McCluggage would still have been rotated into the ground with force.

"As to the second, we accept without hesitation that Mr. Sicily was remorseful and immediately quite shaken by the injury to McCluggage he did not intend. This does not constitute exceptional and compelling circumstances.

"We impose a sanction of three weeks suspension."

Also on Monday evening, Carlton's Matthew Cottrell was charged with a one-game suspension for a dangerous tackle on Gold Coast's Ben Long.