 |
| Jordan De Goey fined $5000 and suspended for three matches after breaking his hand in a bar fight, the suspension to begin when his hand has healed. |
The youngster initially told the club he broke the hand playing with his dog, when he actually broke it in a fight.
Collingwood's General Manager of Football Geoff Walsh said De Goey faced an uphill battle to earn back the respect of his teammates and others at the club.
"It could be a long-time," Walsh told reporters on Tuesday.
"That's one thing he has total control over, he will be able to do whatever he feels he can to win that faith and trust back.
"That could be two months, it could be two years. In some people's eyes, in our organisation… some people are tough markers and they might say, 'You've lost me'.
"We hope that's not the case, but how long's a piece of string?"
De Goey chose to fabricate a story to explain the injury when he first reported it to the club.
Coach Nathan Buckley had initially accepted De Goey's story and told the media on Monday the injury had occurred when De Goey hit his hand on a doorwhile throwing a toy for his dog.
Buckley said if he didn't laugh he would cry at the prospect of losing another midfielder on the eve of the season to an accident involving a dog, after Jeremy Howe injured his finger ahead of last season when throwing a frisbee with his dog.
Walsh said Buckley was obviously upset by the midfielder's actions.
"I don't know about insulted or betrayed, but he's certainly deeply, deeply affected," Walsh said.
"We're deeply embarrassed, we're really sorry that Jordan would feel that he would have to concoct a story."
"He took a terribly wrong course of action, he wishes he could take that back, and he also knows he's got to suffer the consequences," Walsh said.
De Goey, who will be available for VFL selection once his hand has fully healed, will also complete 10 weeks of community service as part of his penalties.
Club Statement
The Collingwood Football Club is disappointed to confirm that Jordan De Goey injured his right hand in an incident at a St Kilda bar last Friday night.
De Goey had surgery on his hand late yesterday and is expected to miss up to a month of football.
The 21 year-old, having first offered the club an explanation for the injury that proved to be untrue, came forward with an accurate account of the cause of the injury late on Monday night.
He met with senior club officials this morning and laid bare his situation to the three-man leadership group of captain Scott Pendlebury and vice-captains Steele Sidebottom and Taylor Adams.
As a result, his peers, with the complete support of the club, have imposed the following penalties:
- A fine of $5000
- A three match AFL suspension to be served after he has fully recovered from his injury
- 10 weeks of service with a community organisation
“Jordan is a young man who made a mistake. That is one thing. The issue we have had to deal with over the last 24 hours is how he compounded that by misleading his teammates, coaches and all of the other people at Collingwood who are here to help him be the best player and person he can be,” GM of Football, Geoff Walsh, said.
“He now has the challenge in front of him to win back the confidence and trust he has lost. We hope that Jordan will turn this moment in his career to his advantage by committing to being an outstanding footballer, team-mate and ambassador for the club.”
De Goey will be available for VFL selection once his hand has recovered. His apology to the Collingwood squad and the broader club will be available on collingwoodfc.com.au later on Tuesday afternoon.
No comments :
Post a Comment