Effective immediately, North Melbourne Football Club senior coach Alastair Clarkson will step away from the club to focus on his physical and emotional wellbeing.
Current club assistant coach and former AFL senior coach, Brett Ratten, will take on the role of senior coach in the interim.
“The club is providing its full support to Alastair and we commend him for making this important decision to put his health first,” North Melbourne President Dr Sonja Hood said.
“Everyone involved has been deeply affected by the Hawthorn investigation and the burden on Alastair has been significant.
“We will give Alastair whatever time he needs to restore his health and look forward to welcoming him back when he is fully fit.
“We have strong leaders at our club who will step up and support and coach our team while Alastair spends time focusing on his health.
“We are fortunate to have someone of Brett Ratten’s experience and capability to coach the team in the interim.”
The club asks that the media respects the privacy of Alastair and his family during this time.
