What stood out in both the AFL and Carlton’s statements regarding what happened to Elijah Hollands at the MCG three weeks ago were the things that weren’t and couldn’t be said. There were legal restrictions. There was medical confidentiality. There was a WorkSafe investigation. There was a universal acceptance that the privacy and wellbeing of the young man at the centre of all this was the most important thing.
The AFL did what they usually do in matters of the utmost complexity – they issued a fine. In fact, it was more of a donation. How much of a dent $75,000 makes in Carlton’s hip pocket is not for me to say, though a club whose four pokie venues raked in nearly $20m in the last financial year can probably afford it. The AFL also announced a series of measures to ensure this never happens again – mandated club phycologists, stronger industry healthcare governance standards, and a “mental health media roundtable”, which itself probably warrants a separate column.
