Two Richmond players have been arrested outside a Gold Coast strip club, with the AFL investigating their COVID-19 protocol breaches.
UPDATE: Richmond players Callum Coleman-Jones and Sydney Stack have been suspended for 10-matches and ordered to leave Queensland after breaching COVID protocols with vision emerging of a late night fight outside a Gold Coast kebab shop.
The Richmond Football Club has also been fined $100,000 for the incident.
Earlier story:
Tigers duo Sydney Stack and Callum Coleman-Jones were involved in a fight outside a strip club early Friday morning.
Queensland Police say two men were arrested after an altercation in Surfers Paradise about 3:30am.
“Both men sustained facial injuries as a result of the incident,” a police statement said.
“The men were both issued with a Police Banning Notice, excluding them from Gold Coast Safe Night Precincts and a Penalty Infringement Notice (PIN) for Public Nuisance (Violent Behaviour).
“Further investigations are continuing into the matter.”
An AFL spokesperson said the league was “aware of the matter and currently investigating”.
In a club statement, Richmond said it immediately reported the players’ protocol breach to the AFL and is working with the league to investigate.
The breach could leave the Tigers facing another significant financial sanction after they were fined $45,000 – with $25,000 of that amount suspended for the rest of 2020 – for an earlier breach by captain Trent Cotchin’s wife.
A fine of up to $75,000 plus the previous suspended amount could be issued by the AFL for the club’s second offence.
Stack and Coleman-Jones face possible suspension after Collingwood’s Steele Sidebottom (four games) and Port Adelaide duo Peter Ladhams (three) and Dan Houston (two) all copped multiple-week bans for serious protocol breaches.
Stack, 20, has played nine of his 26 AFL games this season and Coleman-Jones, 21, made his one senior appearance last year.
The pair are currently listed as injured with respective hip and foot complaints.
They are not part of a separate quarantine hub where AFL officials, and some players and family members, are undertaking the required 14-day quarantine period.
Hundreds of AFL players and club staff are living under strict protocols in Queensland bubbles to complete the 2020 season.
The majority of them have been temporarily relocated from Victoria.
The Tigers’ Gold Coast protocol breach comes just two days after the AFL announced the 2020 grand final will be held in Queensland at Brisbane’s Gabba ground.
The real SC
Roar Rookie
Richmond have broken a lot of COVID19 protocols this year. 1. Trent Cotchin broke the protocol for meeting his wife, Brooke. 2. Nick Vlastuin and Jayden short touched Mabior Chol's genitals when singing the victory song. 3. Sydney Stack and Cal Coleman Jones have been involved in a fight during early hours of the morning. I think these players have broken the integrity and they should be shamed. The worst case scenario is if they breach more covid19 protocols, they will more likely be kicked out of finals series.
Chris
Guest
Just a couple of young blokes. I've been in this spot before and so have many of you. Richmond are always in the press for everyone saying they are falling apart. We had the chopsticks, sacked coaches, 3 straight finals loses, Martin shopped around by Ralph Carr, Martin's signing, Rance's dig at Lynch rocking the apple cart, Jack making comments about Dimma's coaching, staging for free kicks, Rance's shock retirement, Ben Cousins being Ben cousins, Ty Vickory whipping boy, recruiting and playing an ex-con in a Grand Final - use your brains people and stop repeating what the media tell you to think. Some jobs you may be fired on the spot for this kind of stuff - others if you have a good track record, first offence and skills vital to the company don't sack on the spot.
Graeme
Guest
Pretty tame compared to what other young footballers did in the past. The Great Northern National Football League in the 70's at Country Week Carnival in Perth used flyscreen doors of the old Raffles Motel for prawn nets and after the carnival put a little worse for wear "Wobbly" O'Brien on the Esperance bus instead of the Geraldton bus home. Wobbly sobered up pretty fast when he realised he was 900kms away from home.
Mick Gold Coast QLD
Roar Guru
As I recall the Club's team captain is also still "mentally developing" at age 30 - he was prepared to walk off the job when his wife wasn't interested in following the rules a couple of weeks ago! Rules are so passé when you adopt the pose of AFL/League/Union/cricket royalty. These dills have no idea just how fortunate they are, banged up in a 5 star resort with servants tending their dining table, coolies to clean their rooms and an average $370,000 annual salary. A whole game has been recognised as having wider social importance and governments have granted exceptional concessions and comfort so these blokes can remain in work, while their construction worker contemporaries get a few hours here and there and a salary (in a normal year) of about 15% of what they are gifted. The casual ground staff at their home ground in Melbourne get the dole. The AFL needs to sit them down with simple coloured pictures and to sound out for them in little short words in little short sentences the rules and their obligations to their community. They will first need to have kindy teachers in to gently teach the kiddies about the novel concept of "rules" and "obligations".
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
The size of the penalty to these kids is only that big because it's the second time this club has has such deviant behaviour. If the captain's wife hadn't done it, the club wouldn't be so angry. The Cotchins should share the fine. At least we know Richmond has strong leadership. The kids follow the Cotchin example.
Gary
Roar Rookie
Not excusing, nor condoning.
Sir Luttinen
Roar Rookie
I find it hard to believe that Richmond sanctioned a event with a close to open bar policy and thought it would be all apples.
Sir Luttinen
Roar Rookie
:thumbup: born to lose, live to win
Eddie from Elwood
Roar Rookie
Beautiful bit of Racial Profiling by the QLD cops, the report is only Stack was arrested. CCTV shows they didn’t even start the biffo, yet the indigenous party is arrested. Where are the outraged? They were around while Chol was getting fondled!
sven
Roar Rookie
so u would blame ollie wines & tom jonas for the port players indiscretions, pendelbury for sidebottoms & be filthy on hurns for flyin ryan getting done for .05, & willie for tampering with his wee sample ? .....
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
10 matches = "a while" so all good there? The positive for Richmond is that, according to your assessment, Stack and Coleman-Jones will fall out of favour and won't be getting picked anyway so no loss to Richmond.
Dave
Roar Rookie
If this was any other season, I would agree with you. However this is an unprecedented season like no other, the warning signs have all been there for a long time, they knew the risks and what they were doing was wrong! They chose to ignore everything, and whilst I understand they are young and didn’t start the fight, there are simply no excuses for what they did!
Marty
Roar Rookie
The risk level was pretty low in Melbourne at one stage as well.
Gary
Roar Rookie
Young people, men in particular, are still mentally developing at that age, and can be susceptible to poor risk assessment. There is a genuine maturity difference between older and younger players, and that doesn't mean every young player will do something stupid, but some will learn the hard way.
Johnno
Roar Rookie
It’s still stupid....and I didn’t have all this support & training these guys have got.
2dogs
Roar Rookie
It would be hard for Cotchin to have a dig at younger teammates considering his family’s earlier situation. Do as I say not what my wife does
pablocruz
Roar Rookie
Yeah, right. Blame Cotchin. Typical rot.
RT
Roar Rookie
Richmond's response had been very appropriate. You can't expect Cotchin to camp outside every young player's room in case they do something stupid so I am not sure why you are having a go at him. Maybe the club could have reminded the players after a birthday celebration that they must not continue on or head out in an Uber (maybe they did for all we know) but come on, there is such a thing as personal responsibility.
RT
Roar Rookie
I am pretty sure they only breached AFL Covid rules as they weren't in quarantine and that is how it has been reported. Unlike Crows players in the Barossa. But I don't care. The AFL should have come down harder on players sooner and I am pretty happy with 10 weeks. I did think it was a bit harsh but I have come round. Any player who thinks of slipping up needs to realise they will miss a fair chunk of next season too.
Paul D
Roar Rookie
I will just add to this now the afl has actually given them warning if it happens again it will be points - that is ok, but docking points without warning, that would have been obscene.