Former Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson has linked up with Australian sporting icons in a sports science company focusing on developing cannabis-based medicines.
Clarkson will team up with Australian basketball legend, Lauren Jackson, and jockey, Damien Oliver, in being part of an advisory board for Levin Health, a Melbourne-based company.
The role is set to be Clarkson's first since departing Hawthorn earlier this year, following an ugly coaching handover which has since seen Hawks great, Sam Mitchell, step into the role of senior coach.
Clarkson's departure comes after 17 years at Waverley, with the 53-year-old having won four premierships in his tenure with the club.
looks on during the round 14 AFL match between the Sydney Swans and the Hawthorn Hawks at the Sydney Cricket Ground on June 21, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
With former AFL coaches association boss, Mark Brayshaw, the managing director of Levin Health, Clarkson has joined in an advisory role, with a well-known colleague within the company's hierarchy.
In a company statement, Clarkson expressed his excitement at the new venture.
"Regardless of whether it's amateur or professional, AFL can be a brutal contact sport," the statement reads.
"Chronic pain and challenges associated with concussion are ongoing side-effects for many ex-AFL players and often for their friends in the wider community.
"I know the doctors Levin Health are working with at La Trobe University really well and I trust them. Their involvement underpins the work Levin Health is doing so I'm happy to help where I can."
Clarkson has also signed a six-month contract to aid the bid for a standalone Tasmanian club in the AFL.
The coaching mastermind also plans to spend time in the United States over his sabbatical from the game, with plenty of interest around the league on a potential return to the AFL landscape for the 2023 season.
