“The club accepts the fine and in doing so, acknowledges it should have handled its part in the investigation better,” Interim CEO Cam Vale said.
“First and foremost, we fully support the actions of our doctor and his management of Lachlan Hansen. The concussion issue for the League and all clubs is a great concern, but no one takes the welfare and safety of our players more seriously than us.
“We believe we have the best medical, fitness and conditioning team in the competition.”
The AFL’s sanction is not for a breach of the rule governing injured players, but for a failure to fully cooperate with its investigators. The NMFC is therefore pleased it has been found its doctor Andy McMahon has no case to answer.
The NMFC has been alerted to the need for more prompt communications and processes during AFL investigations and agrees the importance of this is paramount.
“We are satisfied no one involved in the investigation deliberately misled, lied or influenced any witnesses to be untruthful in the statements, evidence or correspondence,” Vale added.
“We have apologised to Adrian Anderson and his team and will ensure maximum cooperation for any future investigation. We now consider the matter closed.”
There will be no further comment.
