Racing
League
Rugby
Football
Cricket
Golf
Sport Nation
Motorsport
Netball
Basketball
Combat Sports
Olympics
Other Sports
AFLPA completely unaware of secret concussion deal
SEN • August 6th, 2026 10:29 am
The AFL Players’ Association (AFLPA) is unaware of a reported secret deal struck between a Victorian AFL club and one of its players.
The Herald Sun’s bombshell report from Jay Clark says the deal would require the player in question “to assume all legal responsibility for any further on-field brain trauma”.
The unnamed club has brokered the agreement with the player, who has concussion history, in a bid to absolve “itself and its medical staff from future court action in the event he suffered more head knocks or concussion related health issues”.
SEN’s Sam Edmund provided a lay of the land, including the AFLPA’s obliviousness regarding the situation.
“There's just so many questions at the moment,” Edmund said on SEN Breakfast.
“That report even stated that the agreement in part stated that this particular player at a Victorian club was at ‘higher risk, faced potentially long-term damage, even permanent neurological damage if he suffered any more hits’.
“But all of the legal obligations thrust over to him in this quote unquote agreement.
“Now at a basic legal level this club would appear to have taken the player outside of the safety net, clearly, that their standard playing contract and the CBA provides them and that is a basic safe workplace and all the rights associated with that that we all have.
“Rules clearly state the clubs cannot reach agreements with players outside of the players standard playing contract that are all lodged with the league.
“What we've learnt this morning is the AFL Players’ Association is completely unaware of it.
“The AFLPA were completely unaware of it when they were notified about a week ago. To what knowledge the AFL were aware of it and when and to what extent is unclear at the moment.
“This is absolutely where the ball sits this morning because they need to speak to this. Now, from my understanding, they were made aware of this story maybe about a week or so ago.
“They've spent the weekend, I'm told, working out whether this is one of one. So is this the only club, the only player to have reached such an agreement? From what I'm told, they're confident it is.
“The AFLPA believe it's not legally binding anyway, and it all comes down to legal interpretation, but it is written that a club cannot unilaterally contract their way out of its obligations as per the standard playing contract in the CBA.
“It would have to be tested in court, but the clause says the CBA overrides everything else. Correct. And it's very hard to imagine a world where this has not been lodged with the AFL.”
Peter Jess, the long-time player advocate and concussion campaigner, was in “total disbelief” that this has occurred.
“My initial reaction is one of total disbelief how a public company can behave in this manner to its most valuable commodity, which is the players,” he said on SEN Breakfast.
“It’s just unbelievable that they’re not thinking about making sure that these guys have got a safe workplace.
“If you try and contract out their basic human rights then what you do is create a position no better than modern day slavery.
“It’s about safety first, safety second and safety third.”
Sydney Swans head coach Dean Cox commented on the situation on Thursday morning.
“I can only speak on behalf of our club, but concussion is a very serious issue,” Cox said on SEN Breakfast.
“We understand that we’ve had players that have had their careers finished through concussion and the importance of the wellbeing of the player.
“I understand that there is always a risk when you do step on the football field but our job is to make sure that we try and mitigate that with technique and things you need to do control it as much as you can.
“It’s going to get to an interesting stage now where the legality and liability and where that lies.
“It was interesting read.”
Cox added: “I think it’s important that you are transparent through the whole process.
“My thing with concussion is as long as they need, that’s what they’ll get.
“The ability to look after the person as well as the footballer or your employee at that time.”
