The AFL has confirmed its integrity unit interviewed Collingwood’s Jack Crisp on Tuesday in relation to content that was uploaded to social media last week. 
 
Crisp was investigated over content distributed last week without his consent. The AFLIU accepted the content was taken a number of years ago, and said Crisp admitted it was he who sent the images to another person.
 
“Crisp has acknowledged the content and his language, regardless of the setting, was extremely inappropriate and will issue a public apology this afternoon via Collingwood,” the AFL said in a statement.
 
“In assessing the situation, AFLIU took into consideration Crisp’s acknowledgement of his behaviour, his track record in the years since the content was produced and the public apology.
 
“Crisp has been ordered to undertake an appropriate education program and the AFL considers the matter to be finalised.”

Crisp later released this statement through his club.

 
“Last week I became aware that a video was being shared online containing private images which I had sent to another person in 2018,” Crisp said.
 
“I want to apologise for my actions and the impact they’ve had on my family and our club.
 
“Since that time, I have learnt a lot and grown as a person and I hope my family, those at Collingwood, and everyone connected to our club and the wider game, can see that growth. In saying that, I am still a work in progress and aim to continue to get better as a person.
 
“I am incredibly fortunate to have the support of Collingwood, my wife Mikayla and my daughters – while I am disappointed in myself for those actions, the impact this has had on my wife and my family hurts the most and I apologise to them for that.”

The 29-year-old was said to be deeply embarrassed when the images became public last week and was asked to speak with league officials upon his return from Queensland after a loss to the Brisbane Lions on Thursday night.

The Magpies started hot but conceded 10-straight goals in the second and third quarter on Thursday, eventually falling by 33 points to Brisbane at a sold-out Gabba.

Crisp kicked a fourth-quarter goal but was relatively quite in a 15-disposal performance that came a day after a historical video was circulated on social media with references to illicit drugs.

The video shows a person scrolling through several screenshots of Snapchats, many clearly showing Crisp’s bearded face.

Several of the photos appear to show illicit substances.

The last two images are explicit and show a man standing, but his face is not visible.

“I wouldn’t have thought so,” McRae said when asked if the episode had an impact on their preparation. 

“We don’t make excuses for anything.

“Brisbane are really good, let’s face it. They’ve beaten Melbourne up here and everyone’s saying Melbourne are the team to beat and we’ve gone down as well.”

Crisp has played an extraordinary 191 consecutive AFL games – the most by a current player – dating back to round 18, 2014 when he was with the Lions.

“He’s like every player on our list, we love and support them and 100 per cent have got their back as people and humans,” McRae said.

“There’s lots of stuff that goes on with our players that I’m not always going to condone. 

“I’m a father and I don’t always condone the things my kids do, but at the end of the day we love and support them and that’s not going to change.”

Big names off to Tribunal

Injured Richmond star Tom Lynch’s rough conduct charge on Alex Keath has been thrown out at the AFL tribunal, while Carlton’s Harry McKay can face Adelaide after his one-match striking ban was downgraded to a fine.

Tuesday’s marathon night at the tribunal, lasting more than four hours, proved a good one for key forwards.

Lynch was facing at least a three-week ban for his crunching aerial contact that concussed Western Bulldogs defender Keath on Saturday, which was graded careless conduct, high contact and severe impact and sent directly to the tribunal.

But the Tigers successfully argued Lynch didn’t bump Keath, who will miss one-two games with concussion, and it wasn’t rough conduct.

Lynch was already set for at least two months on the sidelines after suffering a broken foot in Saturday’s five-point loss that requires surgery, but being cleared will help his record.

Counsel Sam Tovey argued Lynch kept his eyes on the ball and maintained his line of momentum before bracing for contact, rather than clenching his fists and driving through a bump when Keath “deviated” into his path.

Lynch, praised for “cogent and emphatic evidence”, said he misjudged the ball’s flight but it was too late for him to pull out of his jump by the time he saw Keath and he instead turned to protect himself.

“I just rotated my body so the contact that was coming front-on, 45 (degree angle) would hit me in the side to prevent injury to me, otherwise it would’ve opened me up,” he said.

AFL counsel Andrew Woods argued Lynch chose to bump and his actions were unreasonable.

But after 25 minutes of deliberation the panel of chair Jeff Gleeson, Jason Johnson and Shane Wakelin sided with the Tiger.

“We are not clearly satisfied that this was rough conduct,” Gleeson said.

McKay’s hit on Sheezel on Good Friday was originally judged as careless, medium impact and high contact.

After close to 50 minutes of deliberation, the panel upheld the striking charge but ruled McKay’s “last-minute reduction in force” to minimise impact meant it didn’t have “real potential for a head injury” and therefore should be graded low.

The Blues’ decision to compare the case to Brisbane midfielder Rhys Mathieson’s 2021 swinging arm on Kysaiah Pickett, which was graded as low impact, also helped their cause.

Woods argued the potential to cause injury meant the incident should be graded as medium impact.

A North Melbourne medical report said Sheezel was assessed but played out the game and did not require further treatment or miss any training or games.

McKay, praised for his “impressive” evidence, was applying defensive pressure as Sheezel kicked.

He said he had no option but to push Sheezel as he was too far away to tackle, and as per his Carlton training, used his forearm instead of just his arm for greater surface area.

The tribunal could be busy again soon.

Hawthorn’s Will Day received a two-match ban for a sling tackle (careless conduct, high impact, high contact) on Geelong’s Brad Close in their Easter Monday clash.

Cat Gary Rohan copped a one-match suspension for his dangerous tackle (careless conduct, medium impact, high contact) on Hawk Changkuoth Jiath.

Hawthorn ruck Lloyd Meek can accept a $2000 fine for kneeing Geelong’s Mark Blicavs in a ruck contest.

Buddy sidelined

Superstar forward Lance Franklin will miss Sydney’s huge AFL clash with Richmond due to knee soreness as the Swans count the cost of their loss to Port Adelaide.

Franklin, 36, was injured late in Saturday’s heartbreaking two-point defeat to the Power and has not recovered in time to face the Tigers at Adelaide Oval on Friday.

Neither side will have their spearhead available with Richmond forward Tom Lynch (broken foot) injured and also facing suspension at the AFL tribunal.

“Lance completed the game against Port Adelaide but suffered a knock to the knee in the last quarter,” Swans medical boss Damian Raper told the club’s website.

“He has been unable to train this week due to his knee soreness and will not play against Richmond this weekend.”

Both McCartin brothers will miss due to their respective concussions.

Luckless defender Paddy, who had nine concussions when playing for St Kilda, was substituted out of Saturday’s game after a head knock that has again sparked concerns over his future.

Brother Tom, also a key defender, joined him on the sidelines with a concussion before halftime.

“Paddy is doing well in the early stages of his recovery,” Raper said.

“He still has some residual symptoms which are not unexpected. He will be monitored closely in accordance with the AFL’s HIA protocols.

“Tom is also doing well in his recovery but will miss the match against Richmond after entering the AFL’s HIA protocols. He will continue to be monitored closely.”

Forward Sam Reid has suffered a major setback in his recovery from a glute injury, dealing with hamstring tendon pain, and won’t return until after the mid-season bye.

Meanwhile Carlton defender Sam Docherty will undergo surgery to repair a torn knee meniscus and will be sidelined for between four and six weeks.

Docherty’s injury is a hefty blow to the unbeaten Blues given his impressive form off half-back.

“It’s no doubt disappointing for Sam to be sidelined for the coming weeks, given he picked up this season right where he left off last year, in great form,” Carlton football boss Brad Lloyd said.

“He’s the ultimate professional though, so once he completes surgery, he’ll launch into his rehab and do everything required to get back to play, which we expect to be in four to six weeks.”

Former co-captain Docherty missed all of the 2018 and 2019 seasons with back-to-back ACL tears.

Docherty was diagnosed with testicular cancer in November 2020 but recovered and played the first 14 games in 2021 before a recurrence in August that year required him to undergo chemotherapy.

Freo react to racism

Fremantle are the latest AFL club to condemn racist slurs aimed at players as Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks brands an abuser of Izak Rankine a coward.

Fremantle say Indigenous stars Michael Walters and Nathan Wilson have both been targets of online racial abuse.

The Dockers’ incidents come just a day after Adelaide’s star recruit Izak Rankine was racially abused on social media.

Fremantle chief executive officer Simon Garlick says his club is appalled by the racist and homophobic abuse of Walters and Wilson.

“This unnecessary and disgusting abuse should not happen and it saddens me, and everyone at our club, that it does,” Garlick said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Individuals that hide behind fake accounts to hurt others are pathetic and we need to be able to curb this capability on social platforms.

“I urge fans … call out racist and homophobic slurs for the abhorrent and archaic discourse that it is. It has no place in our game or in our community … enough is enough.”

The AFL’s integrity unit is investigating the abuse, along with the racial abuse of the Crows’ Rankine in what Nicks said was a deliberate attempt to be “divisive”.

The incidents come just weeks after Western Bulldogs forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan was racially abused by a spectator and online.

Rankine was “holding up well” in the aftermath, Nicks told reporters on Tuesday.

“It’s just a cowardly act.

“It’s just someone who is trying to hurt. I see it as not really a person as such, it’s someone sitting behind a keyboard.

“If someone is going to the trouble of covering up their identity, it’s not an actual account, it’s never been used – to me that’s a sign that we’re not actually dealing with a human being, we are dealing with someone who is just trying to be divisive.”

Rankine’s teammates and Crows staff have rallied around the goalsneak, who returned to South Australia this season after spending three years at Gold Coast.

Nicks said the 22-year-old was a certain starter against Carlton in Thursday night’s Adelaide Oval fixture.

“He has got 100 per cent support from everyone at the footy club,” Nicks said.

“That is the best we can do for him at the moment and maybe getting out and having a game of football might help him with that.

“Things like this can bind you, a group come together, and we were able to show our support.”

The AFL on Monday night condemned the racial abuse.

“There is no place in our game for anyone who vilifies our players,” an AFL statement said.

“We stand with the club in calling out the racist comments, comments that cause significant hurt and harm for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”