AFL Player's Association CEO Paul Marsh has claimed that while ex-Blue Liam Jones was within his right to refuse either form of Covid vaccination, his retirement acts as an example that the league's mandate is ironclad.
Within an official press statement released on Monday afternoon, Marsh began by congratulating Jones on his career for both both Carlton and the Western Bulldogs.
"Liam Jones has made the difficult decision to retire from his AFL career," the statement commenced.
"The AFL Players’ Association respects Liam’s right to make this decision and also respects his request for privacy. As such, we will not be making any comments about Liam’s specific situation.
"The AFLPA congratulates Liam on his AFL career and his contribution to the game. As a past player, Liam will continue to have the support of all AFLPA services and people."
The former Australian Cricketers Association head then went on to explain that Victorian state guidelines regarding vaccines had seen Jones placed in a no-win position.
"The agreed Covid-19 vaccination policy between the AFL and AFLPA was developed in accordance with a number of key principles, including the understanding that some AFL and AFLW players may elect not to be vaccinated."
"With current Victorian State Government directions for workers and various state border rules making it impossible for unvaccinated players to fulfil their contractual obligations, the policy ensures that unvaccinated players exiting the game have financial protections that they would not otherwise be legally entitled to."
Marsh signed off by suggesting that the cut-off dates for unvaccinated players being locked out of their respective clubs had the ability to be altered should state government policies also be amended.
"The policy specifies key timelines that enable players to make decisions around vaccination in line with state directives, and also provides for a review mechanism of the policy should Government directions change.”
