St Kilda defender Jimmy Webster has broken his silence following a head-high hit on North Melbourne's captain Jy Simpkin in Sunday's practice match at RSEA Park.
Webster - who is set to face the tribunal on Monday night - knew immediately that he was in trouble when he made contact with Simpkin.
Following backlash from the Kangaroos players and fans, the left-footer is destined to spend up to two months on the sideline through suspension.
Feeling plenty of remorse, Webster took the opportunity to address the matter ahead of a looming suspension.
โI deeply regret my actions in yesterday's game," Webster said in a club statement.
"I've reached out to Jy and cannot understate my remorse. My thoughts are with Jy and his family, and I hope he has a speedy and successful recovery.
"I fully recognise the importance of protecting players' heads and in this instance, I failed to meet that much-needed standard.
"I will present to the Tribunal and understand there will be consequences for my actions.โ
Executive General Manager of Football David Misson also released a statement regarding Webster's hit on Simpkin, expressing it was out of the ordinary.
โAs a football club, we are committed to doing everything possible to minimise risk and harm to players, particularly when it comes to the head," Mission said.
"Our thoughts are with Jy Simpkin and his family, and we hope to see him return to play soon. While it was out of character for Jimmy - who has proven to be a fair and honest player throughout his 10+ year career - that does not excuse the action, which has no place in our game.
"Our focus now is to support Jimmy through the process, and we will respectfully accept the outcome of the Tribunal.โ
However, four-time premiership player Jordan Lewis believes that a six-to-eight-week ban of Webster isn't enough, believing there's more that could be done to help eradicate the bump.
Talking on RSNย with former player Daniel Harford, Lewis suggested that the left-footer should receive a further penalty such as a fine.
โHe'll have a severe penalty. 6 to 8 weeks would sit comfortably with that (hit)," Lewis expressed.
โI would go one step further. Let's say he gets 8 weeks for argument's sake, which is a hefty penalty for an action on game day. I would then throw a fine on top of that," Lewis expressed on Monday.
โBecause if the actions are still happening in this game, maybe the suspension isn't enough. It's just not commuting. And if you continue to do it after that, the fine can increase.
โWe can all agree that (hit) has no place in our game."
Simpkin is expected to enter concussion protocols, with a minimum of 12 days spent on the sidelines.
This puts the Kangaroos captain in doubt for their Round 1 clash against GWS on March 16 at GIANTS Stadium.
