Brisbane Lions legend Leigh Matthews has stepped down from his roles as Football Director and Deputy Chairman, but will remain a Director at the club.

Matthews told the board he would not be able to commit to the positions long-term as they were in conflict with his media roles.

โ€œThe Board was advised late last year that I would not be the official Football Director in 2017 as I believed doing that function well was in conflict with both the time commitment and effectiveness of my various media roles," Matthews said.

โ€œHowever, I am happy to remain on the Board and continue to help out where I can.โ€

Director Andrew Wellington will take on the role of Deputy Chairman. A replacement for the Football Director role will be discussed in the next board meeting.

Brisbane Lions Chairman Bob Sharpless said the Board respected Matthewsโ€™ decision.

โ€œLeigh remains on the Board of the Brisbane Lions and he will continue to play a major role as we work our way back to relevance in AFL football,โ€ Sharpless said.

โ€œLeigh is an important figure in the game and he has a wide range of media commitments that take time and focus โ€“ as a Board we understand and respect his decision going into 2017.