Melbourne skipper Max Gawn is concerned about how the impact of concussion is changing the outlook of player contracts in the wake of Geelong's secret deal with a player.
Gawn acknowledged most players would sign anything that's put in front of them to continue their playing career, leaving them "vulnerable".
"Credit to Geelong in thinking outside the box and working out how to get around concussion," Gawn said in jest on Triple M.
"It's a very vulnerable time for players, particularly those who want to continue for another two years but are getting close to retirement. I dare say a lot of them will sign what's put in front of them. We're on really good money, and it's tough to get that money elsewhere, and we also love footy.
"You're in a vulnerable position in what you sign.
"I would never sign anything that doesn't have health at the forefront. If that got pitched to me, I would not go down that path."
Gawn noted concussion is one of the biggest fears in the AFL among the players.
The AFLPA survey recorded 82 per cent of players have high-level concerns about head knocks and the impact later in their life - a major jump from the 2021 numbers (64 per cent).
Players are still (20 per cent) downplaying or denying the severity of their symptoms, while 80 per cent of those who did not report said it was because they didn't want to lose their spot in the team.
"What it does show is who knows what concussion is doing in terms of contracts and where it goes, and people that get concussion, what the payout is for post that, how we look after concussion," Gawn said.
"It's still a massive grey area in footy. Every time we do an AFLPA survey, it's still number one on our hit list on what we want sorted."
