AFL to tighten mental health protocols after $75,000 fine to Carlton
The AFL will strengthen match-day mental health protocols and require clubs to employ psychologists after fining Carlton $75,000 for the way it managed player Elijah Hollands during a match against Collingwood on 16 April.
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said a review of Carlton’s report and other inquiries found there were sufficient visual cues, performance data and knowledge of Hollands’ circumstances to indicate he should have been removed from play earlier. Dillon said the delay in taking him off the field resulted in an outcome that brought the game into disrepute.
He and league football operations manager Laura Kane declined to discuss further details, citing medical confidentiality. In the days after the match, Hollands was admitted to hospital. Questions had been raised about why he was not taken off until the 20-minute mark of the final quarter.
Carlton coach Michael Voss said the club had supported Hollands both immediately after the game and beforehand, describing the situation as a private challenge that should be treated with respect. Voss noted Hollands had shown courage in speaking about his issues two years earlier and said the club had provided mentoring, counselling and specialist support.
Kane said the league will appoint full-time psychologists, or an equivalent, across AFL and AFLW programs, with industry consultation commencing immediately.
Additional steps will include establishing an AFL health and wellbeing governance committee to advise on health governance matters; developing industry-wide standards for psychological fitness to play, including best-practice guidelines and an incident management and review system; reviewing club football department SOFCA policies related to health care mechanisms; expanding mental health literacy across all AFL and AFLW football department staff; and hosting a mental health roundtable with media partners, in partnership with the Black Dog Institute and the Danny Frawley community, in the lead-up to SPUDs game.
Carlton has accepted the findings and said it will pay the fine. The club said the $75,000 penalty will be donated to headspace, the AFL’s mental health partner, and reiterated its support for Hollands and for its medical and wellbeing staff.