AFL comes down hard on Geelong for Jake Kolodjashnij’s controversial concussion contract

Geelong have been handed a massive $140,000 fine for adding a concussion clause to the contract of veteran defender Jake Kolodjashnij and failing to lodge it with the AFL .

But the club has been spared any additional sanctions for the serious rule breach.

Geelong CEO Steve Hocking, who initially described the incident as “misstep” , and AFL chairman Craig Drummond, who was Geelong president at the time, have been spared any sanction.

The fine includes an extra $40,000, which was suspended from a previous sanction for a series of third-party payments .

Kolodjashnij signed a “voluntary assumption of risk” outside of the AFL’s standard playing contract and required the defender to assume legal responsibility for any future head trauma .

The agreement was struck after the AFL’s independent concussion panel delivered an “amber” reading, which put Kolodjashnij’s future back in the hands of the player and club.

The AFL commission, not including chair Drummond, met on Wednesday night to decide the penalty.

Geelong had hoped to not have the extra $40,000 included in the sanction, which was hanging over the club following a $77,500 fine last year after an AFL audit into the club’s third-party agreements.

Drummond, who was Geelong president when the deal with Kolodjashnij, had removed himself from the process.

The AFL initially decided against any penalty when they first addressed the incident, but then quickly issued a ‘please explain’ to the Cats.

Geelong responded before the AFL brought in an independent legal counsel to help decide the sanctions.

The Cats maintained they acted in good faith, and had discussions with the AFL when they struck the controversial agreement with Kolodjashnij in 2024.

But they never lodged the final agreement with the AFL and failed to disclose the situation with the AFL.

Meanwhile, Kolodjashnij returned to training this week although there is still no clarity whether he has been cleared to play.