The AFL have commented on the potential COVID-19 breach 'cover up' that was exposed recently by Richmond defender Dylan Grimes.
Grimes spoke on football panel show That's Good For Footy and said he was shocked at how the news hadn't already got out.
The incident occurred when Richmond headed to Adelaide to play the Power in the home and away season, where some hotels will open their doors for the homeless once the outside temperature hits a certain low.
Grimes explained the close proximity the Richmond players found themselves in with the the members of the public.
โIt (hotel) felt like a hospital which had been abandoned. It was really old and it was like, โThis is weirdโ,โ Grimes said.
โWe came down from a meeting or a team walk or something and the hotel lobby was filled with homeless people. In Adelaide, if it gets above or below a certain temperature the hotel opens up as a homeless shelter.
โI donโt know how this never got out and the AFL have done an amazing job of covering this up (because) at this stage we were wearing masks coming out of the airport, to the airport, to the bus.
โWe werenโt allowed to come into contact with anyone, but next thing you know we were crammed like sardines into a lift.
โWe were like โHow does this happen?โ.
โWe were so sterile for so long and now we are staying in a homeless shelter right before a game. We had just been done for the Brooke Cotchin thing, there was something else, and they (AFL) were all over us,โ Grimes said.
โI was like โThe AFL are going to cop it for this. Sit back and wait and watch the media roll in (because) Richmond was staying in a homeless shelterโ but crickets, (there was) nothing (about it).โ
The comments about the AFL "covering-up" the incident forced the leagues hand as they addressed the issue with The Herald Sun.
โThe AFL moved and accommodated hundreds of players and officials across the country throughout season 2020,โ the spokesman told the Herald.
โWhen any issues arose we acted accordingly, and in this particular instance having members of the general public staying in the same hotel, we put on extra security and hotel staff to ensure the protocols were abided by.
โAll players had the necessary protocols and information for when engaging with the general public across the year.โ
