Collingwood have been cleared of a potential COVID-19 breach following Tuesday night's win over the Crows, as first reported by The Herald Sun.
The latest incident involved coach Nathan Buckley again, who appeared to handshake a fan as he was walking down the race after the victory at Adelaide Oval.
#BREAKING Collingwood caught in another potential COVID protocol breach.
Bucks and what could become a $75k handshake. Details via @SamLandsberger https://t.co/xShKbJCT7p pic.twitter.com/bP07JPAI4z
— SuperFooty (AFL) (@superfooty) August 12, 2020
After contacting the AFL, SEN's Sam Edmund reports that the Pies have no case to answer for.
“I’ve touched base with the AFL and they’ve got no issue with it,” Edmund said on SEN’s Dwayne’s World.
“They said this handshake was a fist bump with a familiar face and while not ideal, Buckley won’t have any case to answer.
“The AFL are considering this as a reminder to be vigilant, but they won’t be any case to answer after Buckley saw a familiar face from his days in Adelaide.”
Sam, it was a fist bump and here is the story behind it...
I can’t remember his name but I know his face...over 20 years ago he said he was watching football in a bar, defended me to a group of patrons, was subsequently set on and bashed losing his sense of taste and smell.
— Nathan Buckley (@ncb_cfc) August 12, 2020
It comes just two weeks after Buckley and assistant coach Brenton Sanderson paid the club's $25,000 fine for playing a tennis match with Alicia Molik, with $25,000 suspended.
The AFL said it would be issued upon a further breach that would carry a maximum penalty of $75,000.
A third offence would see the AFL Commission impose any sanction they see fit, which could even include the loss of premiership points or draft picks.
Earlier in the year, vice-caption Steele Sidebottom was handed a four-match suspension for breaching COVID protocols during a boozy night out.
Sidebottom's incident occurred before the AFL introduced the sanction guidelines and three-strike policy.
