Joel Bowden calls for Senate hearing over Geelong's secret concussion waiver

Former Richmond player and AFL Players Association (AFLPA) chief Joel Bowden has criticised the AFL, Geelong and the AFLPA for their handling of the secret concussion waiver signed by an unknown Cats player, calling for a Senate committee hearing to investigate.

The Cats have avoided any sanction from the AFL for making a deal with a player who had a history of concussions that required him to assume all legal responsibility for future brain trauma.

Geelong had a secret arrangement in 2024, which was revealed on Thursday, with an undisclosed player who signed the agreement in a bid to exonerate the club and its medical staff from future court action.

Speaking to ABC Radio Melbourne on Friday, Bowden said he found it "absolutely outrageous that a young person's been taken advantage of", calling it "gambling with a young [player's] health and safety".

Bowden — who is also a former trade unionist and member of the Northern Territory parliament — pointed to the close ties between the club and the AFL, with former Geelong president Craig Drummond the chairman of the AFL Commission and Geelong chief executive Steven Hocking being the former general manager of football at the AFL.

"How this has got through, how people have thought that this is possibly OK is now ever more outrageous with the facts that have been put on the table," Bowden said.

"It's conduct unbecoming. The AFL will fine players, they will fine people who are involved in the community sport — if you breach the code of conduct anywhere in the AFL at a game of community football you can be brought in front of a tribunal.

"And this AFL club, Geelong, have gone and signed a contract outside the standard playing contract and I would say outside of WorkSafe Victoria's legislative framework to provide a duty of care and a safe workplace.

"And now they're going to say: 'Nothing to see here, let's move on and watch the footy.'"

Bowden took aim at his former organisation the AFLPA for putting out a joint statement with the AFL over the issue and saying that the association had to "act more like a union, the union they are."

"They [the AFLPA] are too close [to the AFL] and this example says to me that the industry has got control of the Players Association," Bowden said, citing the AFL's funding of the AFLPA "to the tune of millions of dollars per year".

He called for Geelong to be brought in front of an independent tribunal to get to the bottom of the issue.

"I don't think there's been a press conference where anyone from the AFL or Geelong has stood there and taken questions," he said.

"Concussion is the nmber one issue in the AFL at this point of time. It's going to be huge in years to come, the CTE research and understanding now, the history that we know.

"They're all too close and the industry is too close at times so maybe it needs to go to a Senate estimates committee hearing or something and get David Pocock to ask some questions and get independent senators and Sarah Hanson-Young to level these to the AFL.

"A young man has been put at risk and been asked to sign a secret waiver that says he'll exonerate the club from any future issues with his health. That needs to be investigated and that's not OK."

Asked if he thought Geelong would end up being sanctioned over the waiver, he replied:

"Yes I do. I think the court of public opinion will demand that they be sanctioned because this type of behaviour in modern AFL but also in workplace safety laws is not acceptable. Independent separate contracts are unacceptable."

A Victorian government spokesperson responded on Friday.

"Players safety must never be compromised," the spokesperson said.

"The AFL must have evidence-based policies and procedures in place to protect their players.

"The AFL, as the governing body for Australian rules football, has responsibility for managing concussion within the code."