Following this morning’s media coverage, the Melbourne Football Club wants to be very clear on the importance it places on player welfare and concussion management.
The club doctor solely decides if the player is concussed and when they can return to training or to play. This is a policy that we have always followed since the AFL Concussion Policy was created.
Further to this, it is part of the club's governance that every year the club doctor attends either a board meeting or a board sub-committee meeting and this has occurred since 2014.
This communication process was established to create the appropriate channel for the club doctor to raise any concerns they may have regarding occurrences within the Football Program, with the Board Directors and CEO.
As a matter of governance, in each meeting, enquiries are made of the club doctor whether he or she had experienced any pressure from a coach or staff member regarding returning a player from concussion to training or playing earlier than the club doctor recommended.
No concerns have been raised to the Board or CEO at these board meetings by any club doctor since the policy was created in 2014.
