Geelong skipper Patrick Dangerfield admits the club "buggered up" over the concussion waiver that eliminated responsibility for future brain injuries of a teammate, as the Cats will hand in a response to the AFL's please explain by the end of the day tomorrow.
"We acknowledge this has been a challenging time for Jake, our club and Geelong supporters," Geelong president Grant McCabe said.
"The Board has met this morning to discuss our response to the AFL's letter, that will be submitted by the end of the day Tuesday 11 August. This will provide the club with the chance to detail the actions it took in navigating this complex matter. We welcome this opportunity.
"The club remains committed to providing our players with the highest standard of care and support.”
Premiership defender Jake Kolodjashnij confirmed he was the player who signed a deal with the club in 2024.
Dangerfield said he learned of the Cats' concussion deal on social media.
“It's not until you unpack all the detail and find out what the whole process was, why it was done the way that it was,” Dangerfield told Fox Sports.
“Clearly there were some parts that we buggered up as a club, and we can be better, but I still think there's a bit to unpack yet.
“As an older player, I think what I've learnt over my time is you've got to wait for the detail before the shock and awe kicks in.
“That's a bit of the challenge sometimes, with something like this, that is very much emotive - especially when it comes to players' health and when it's one of our players that's certainly concerning in that sense. But you've got to get the detail first. The nuance to that is the context of how it was done. Clearly there's been more information needed from the AFL, and that's what the club's been doing over the last few days.”
Geelong is set for an emergency board meeting, with chief executive Steve Hocking coming under fire over the deal struck.
Hocking said last week he took responsibility for the fact the club didn't lodge the deal with the AFL or the AFLPA, which Dangerfield used to lead as president until the 2025 season.
“Steve is one of the most placid people that I have ever met,” Dangerfield added.
“He's a man of the highest integrity, and I have his back wholeheartedly. We've been so fortunate to have him in charge of our football club, and we're bloody lucky to have him.
“I know right throughout his stewardship of the club, he's been a players-first CEO. I have full faith in Steve and the way that he governs our club, the way that he leads us, and that he is always players first.”
Even though Kolodjashnij came forward to confirm his identity as the player in the saga, Dangerfield made note of the importance of considering the human element.
"That human element sometimes gets lost in the chase of a story,” Dangerfield said.
“It's been a pretty difficult few days for Jake, his family, for obvious reasons.”
