The top 10 AFL controversies of the century

Is the coronavirus pandemic causing the shutdown of the league the biggest AFL controversy of the century? Over the past 20 years there have been many scandals that sent shockwaves through the league and turned it upside down. We've taken a look back at the 10 biggest AFL controversies since 2000. Honourable mentions Brisbane Lions using IV drips (2001) Barry Hall's punch on Brent Staker (2008) Ricky Nixon's 'St Kilda schoolgirl' incident (2011) Kirk Tippett salary cap breach (2012) Josh Thomas and Lachlan Keefe's drug ban (2015) Adelaide Crows Collective Minds pre-season camp (2018) Jaidyn Stephenson's betting scandal (2019) But let's continue on with the real stuff... Alan Didak and Heath Shaw drink drive... then lie There's no shortage of controversies down at Magpie land. In August 2008, Collingwood Magpies pair Alan Didak and Heath Shaw were involved in a drink-driving scandal when Shaw blew three times the legal alcohol limit after crashing his car into a tree in suburban Melbourne. Shaw then lied about Didak being in the passenger seat, as the star forward was on an alcohol ban placed by Collingwood. Both players were subsequently fined and were suspended for the remainder of the 2008 season. [caption id="attachment_31042" align="alignnone" width="2048"] MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 15: Heath Shaw and Nick Maxwell speak to the media during a Collingwood Magpies AFL press conference at Westpac Centre on July 15, 2011 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Prezioso/Getty Images)[/caption] Melbourne tanking scandal Melbourne finished on the bottom of the ladder in 2009, with questionable coaching decisions costing them key matches late in the season. Some at the time asked whether Melbourne was tanking games to ensure top draft picks. Those questions were answered in 2013, when the AFL found Melbourne guilty of tanking and damaging the game's integrity. Then-coach Dean Bailey and head of football Chris Connolly were suspended from their current roles and fined while Melbourne themselves were fined $500,000. [caption id="attachment_12713" align="alignnone" width="1024"] MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 10: Dean Bailey coach of the Demons talks to his players during the round three AFL match between the Melbourne Demons and the Brisbane Lions at Melbourne Cricket Ground on April 10, 2011 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Prezioso/Getty Images)[/caption] Brendan Fevola's big night at the Brownlow Even prior to the 2009 Brownlow Medal night, Brendan Fevola was no saint - having been involved in drunken assaults and famously urinating on a nightclub window. His antics on Brownlow night, including being highly intoxicated recording a now-infamous segment for the Footy Show, was the final straw for Carlton, causing the Blues to sack the star forward. Fevola then had a brief two-year stint with Brisbane before his career ended after his New Years Day arrest for public intoxication in 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t1O2uhrqUc Phil Walsh's tragic death Adelaide Crows coach Phil Walsh was tragically stabbed to death by his son Cy Walsh in July 2015 after an argument. Cy Walsh was later found not guilty of the murder due to mental incompetence due to drug use. He was permanently detained at the James Nash House forensic Mental Health Facility. Phil Walsh's death shocked the football world and caused the Crows' match against Geelong that weekend to be cancelled outright. It marked the only time a match had been called off completely in league history. [caption id="attachment_7750" align="alignnone" width="1024"] SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MAY 23: Crows coach Phil Walsh looks dejected after losing the round eight AFL match between the Greater Western Sydney Giants and the Adelaide Crows at Spotless Stadium on May 23, 2015 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)[/caption] Adam Goodes booed out of the game Adam Goodes was embroiled in an two-year saga that started in 2013 when he was called an 'ape' by a 13-year old Collingwood fan in the crowd during a match. The ensuring controversy and him speaking out on racial and indigenous issues led to two years of relentless booing from fans across Australia and his eventual retirement in 2015. Sadly, it is now recognised as one of the great tragedies in AFL history, and in 2019, Goodes received an official apology from the AFL and all 18 clubs. [caption id="attachment_36606" align="alignnone" width="1024"] PERTH, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 12: Adam Goodes of the Swans looks on after being defeated during the First AFL Qualifying Final match between the Fremantle Dockers and the Sydney Swans at Domain Stadium on September 12, 2015 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)[/caption] Carlton breach the salary cap In 2002, Carlton were reeling after winning their first wooden spoon ever. Things got worse for the club when they were charged with breaching the salary cap during the 2001 season. The Blues were fined a then-record $930,000 and lost several draft picks in both the 2002 and 2003 drafts, including the no.1 pick in 2002. The scandal led to legendary club president John Elliott to resign and the grandstand at Princes Park named after him to be renamed to the Carlton Heroes Stand. However, most damaging was the impact on field, with the club not making the finals again until 2009 and winning two more wooden spoons during that time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOToNMxaDh8 Wayne Carey's affair with Kelli Stevens They were premiership teammates and best friends. But that all ended when North Melbourne legend Wayne Carey slept with Anthony Stevens' wife Kelli in 2002. The pair were caught in the act while celebrating with other teammates at Glenn Archer's house. The scandal led to Carey resigning from North and brought closet to North's golden era of the 90's. [caption id="attachment_12381" align="alignnone" width="1024"] 26 June 1999: Wayne Carey , number 18 for the Kangaroos and team mate Anthony Stevens, number 29 ( right) leave the ground after the AFL round 13 game between the Kangaroos and Carlton played at the M.C.G. Melbourne,Victoria,Australia. The Kangaroos defeated Carlton. Mandatory Credit: Stuart Milligan/ALLSPORT[/caption] Ben Cousins' fall from grace After winning the Brownlow Medal in 2005 and winning a premiership with West Coast in 2006, Cousins became embroiled in a drugs scandal that still plagues him to this day. After first being stripped of his captaincy in 2005 after running from a booze bus in Perth, Cousins was arrested in December 2006 after passing out at Crown Casino in Melbourne. After testing positive for drugs in March 2007, Cousins was stood down indefinitely by the Eagles. He appeared to turn his life around by 2009, having a brief comeback with Richmond and being the focus of a documentary 'Such is Life: The troubled times of Ben Cousins' chronicling his recovery. Sadly, Cousins has since been in prison and continues to be plagued by his demons. [caption id="attachment_10662" align="alignnone" width="1024"] MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 30: Ben Cousins and Chris Judd of the Eagles celebrate with the Premiership Cup after winning the AFL Grand Final match between the Sydney Swans and the West Coast Eagles at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 30, 2006 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Dadswell/Getty Images)[/caption] The Essendon supplements saga 34 current and former Essendon players were suspended by the World Anti Doping Authority in 2016 after being found guilty of injecting banned substance Thymosin beta-4 during the now infamous 2012 season and brining the game into disrepute. The penalties included Essendon being fined $2 million and removed from the 2013 finals series and Jobe Watson being stripped of his 2012 Brownlow Medal. The saga eventually led to club legend and coach James Hird leaving the club under acrimonious circumstances in 2015 after being banned for the 2014 season. The impact was felt at Essendon and around the AFL for years afterward. [caption id="attachment_9093" align="alignnone" width="1024"] MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 18: James Hird cries as he talks to the media following his resignation as head coach of the Essendon Bombers AFL Football Club at True Vaule Solar Centre on August 18, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)[/caption] Coronavirus puts the game's future in doubt Yes - we do believe this is the biggest controversy of the century! The ongoing 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has put AFL in a position it has never been before. After controversially playing Round 1 in empty stadiums, the league was suspended until at least May 31 and hundreds of staff across all 18 clubs were stood down without pay. The players were involved in a pay dispute, accepting a 50 per cent cut to their season salaries while the AFL secured a $500 million bank loan to ensure that teams do not need to merge or fold with clubs tightening their belts. It remains to be seen how much further coronavirus will impact the AFL and whether or not the rest of the season is played at all. [caption id="attachment_21519" align="alignnone" width="1024"] MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MAY 30: Gillon McLachlan, Chief Executive Officer of the AFL speaks to media during the Sir Doug Nicholls Round Media Opportunity at Galleria on May 30, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Media/Getty Images)[/caption]

		P	W	L	PTS	%
1	GC	3	3	0	12	191
2	WB	3	3	0	12	137.2
3	SYD	3	2	1	8	139.5
4	HAW	3	2	1	8	118.1
5	FRE	2	1	1	4	121.1
6	NMFC	2	1	1	4	116.3
7	PORT	2	1	1	4	109.3
8	ADEL	2	1	1	4	104.6
9	COLL	2	1	1	4	98.7
10	STK	3	1	2	4	92.3

The top 10 AFL controversies of the century

We’ve counted down the 10 biggest AFL controversies since 2000 👇

6. Adam Goodes booed out of the game

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