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The List of incidents involving VFL/AFL players is a collection of both on and off-field incidents that have received media coverage involving current and former players from the Australian Football League.

This sports-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

1910 - 1980

• 1910 - Three Carlton players were alleged to have accepted a bribe to "play dead" during a final against South Melbourne; Doug Fraser and Alex Lang were given five year (99 match) suspensions, while Doug Gillespie was cleared and played in the Grand Final.^[1]
• 1924 - Rumours arose of bribes being paid to the Essendon players to "play dead" against VFA premiers Footscray in the end of season challenge match.^[2].
• 1925 - North Melbourne player Fred Rutley is suspended for life and Geelong players Stan Thomas and Arthur Coughlan suspended until December 31, 1926 (26 matches) for starting an all-in brawl in the North Melbourne v Geelong match at Arden Street. Rutley was reinstated by the VFL in 1930.
• 1926 - Les Witto of Carlton broke his arm in a game; he later died of tetanus from the resulting infection. ^[3]
• 1933 - Hawthorn's captain-coach, Fred Phillips, dies from blood poisoning, and his teammate, Norman Collins, was found hanged in his garage.^{[4] [5]}
• 1945 - Ten players were charged with a total of sixteen offenses as a result of the 1945 VFL Grand Final, a game so violent it was nicknamed the Bloodbath. ^[6]
• 1960 - Carlton ruckman John Nicholls was found guilty of embezzlement and larceny and jailed for three months.^[7]
• 1964 - Police laid charges against Alan Aylett, Albert Mantello, Alan Killigrew and Geoff Rosenow after breaking up a brawl in the player's race at the end of a game between Geelong and North Melbourne at Kardinia Park.
• 1965 - Essendon player John Somerville was felled behind play in the Preliminary Final.^[8]
• 1965 - Carlton player Maurie Sankey was killed in a car accident near Wangaratta. ^[9]
• 1966 - Former St Kilda player Neville Linney pleaded guilty to assault and attempted armed robbery.^[10]
• 1970 - Essendon defender Doug Tassell and two of his friends were killed in a car accident.^[11]
• 1972 - John Greening of Collingwood was knocked unconscious by Jim O'Dea of St Kilda.^[12] O'Dea was suspended for ten matches after a league investigation.^[13]
• 1975 - Footscray player Neil Sachse had his neck broken in a freak accident while playing against Fitzroy, leaving him a quadriplegic.^[14]
• 1976 - Hawthorn captain Peter Crimmins, 28, died from cancer three days after the team won the premiership.^[15]

1980s

• 1980 - Essendon player Phil Carman was suspended for 20 games for head-butting boundary umpire Graham Carbery when he went to report him for striking St Kilda captain Garry Sidebottom.^[16]
• 1982 - Angry at a change in the scheduling of the quarter finals of the Escort Cup national club competition, John Todd sent the Swan Districts reserves team to play Richmond. Swan Districts were defeated by 186 points and banned from the competition for two years.^[17]
• 1982 - 17 year old Helen D'Amico streaked in the VFL Grand Final, wearing only a Carlton scarf.^[18]
• 1982 - Former Carlton ruckman John Nicholls was fined a total of $2,750 after being convicted of seven counts of fraud involving bounced cheques in the Coburg Magistrate's Court; the magistrate acquitted him on 17 other charges.^[7]
• 1985 - Former Collingwood player Brett Cooper was sentenced to five years jail with a three year non-parole period for drug related offences^[19].
• 1985 - Collingwood reserves full-back John Bourke was suspended for ten years plus 16 games and fined $2,000 for kicking Swans reserves player Patrick Foy in the groin, striking the Collingwood runner, pushing and kicking field umpire Phil Waight, and running into the crowd to assault a Swans spectator.^[20]
• 1985 - Leigh Matthews is charged by Victoria Police with the on-field assault of Neville Bruns of Geelong; he is convicted and fined $1,000. He is also suspended by the VFL for four matches, both later dropped on appeal.^[21]
• 1987 - Carlton's Peter Motley had his career ended by a car accident.^[22]
• 1988 - Rod Grinter of Melbourne is given a six week suspension for punching Terry Wallace of Footscray in the face.^[23]
• 1989 - Tony Lockett was suspended for six matches for striking Guy McKenna.^[24]
• 1989 - The West Coast Eagles squad were fined a record $180,000 ($9,000 for each player) for betting on a match against Brisbane at Carrara that they won. ^[25]
• 1989 - Darren Millane, Doug Hawkins and Danny Frawley were detained outside Wrest Point Casino after a fight, but were later released without charge.^[26]

1990s

1990

• Footscray's Ron James was killed whilst water-skiing on the Murray River on New Year's Day.^[27]
• Former Chief Commissioner Jack Hamilton was killed in a car accident at Yea. His wife was injured.
• Collingwood's Tony Francis was suspended for six matches for kicking on debut.
• Essendon's Terry Daniher was suspended for 12 matches for flattening Collingwood's Gavin Brown and starting a bench-clearing brawl at quarter time in the Grand Final.

1991

• Greg Williams was fined a record $25,000 and suspended for six matches for bringing the game into disrepute after alleging that the Sydney Swans were violating the salary cap at a press conference. ^[28]
• Robert Walls, the Brisbane Bears coach, ordered the punch-up of one his players, Shane Strempel at a training session. Walls said Strempel "needed to be taught a lesson". The bizarre training session only ended when another player said they should stop, or Strempel might be killed.^[29]
• Collingwood's Darren Millane was killed in a car crash after clipping a semi-trailer whilst drink driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.322.^[30]

1992

• Former Richmond ruckman Richard Nixon was killed in a car accident in South Australia.

1993

• Nicky Winmar was abused by the home crowd at Victoria Park, and at the end of the game lifted his guernsey and pointed to his skin.^[31] This sparked a debate over on-field racism.

1994

• Swans recruit Dermott Brereton was suspended for 7 weeks for standing on Hawthorn player Rayden Tallis' head during a practice match; he was suspended for another 7 matches later in the season for elbowing Richmond captain Tony Free and breaking his jaw.
• St. Kilda forward Tony Lockett was suspended for 8 matches for elbowing Sydney's Peter Caven and breaking his nose. ^[32]
• After an investigation into a melee that broke out in the West Coast v Footscray match at Subiaco Oval in Round 24, the AFL charged eight players with melee involvement. Seven players were severely reprimanded, and the instigator of the melee, Daniel Southern of Footscray, was fined $10,000.
• Another melee broke out in the Fitzroy v St Kilda match at Optus Oval in Round 24. The instigator, Jason Baldwin of Fitzroy and Nathan Burke of St Kilda were severely reprimanded, while the instigator, James Manson of Fitzroy, was suspended for one match and fined $1,000.

1995

• Tony Liberatore was fined $1,500 for saying that the goal umpire in the drawn Collingwood v Footscray match was a "disgrace". ^[33]
• North Melbourne paid a young woman $15,000 to keep quiet about being sexually harassed by Wayne Carey and another player at a party.^[34]

1996

• Wayne Carey pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting a female bouncer outside a nightclub after being refused entry, and later settled out of court when the woman filed a civil suit against him.
• Former player Jimmy Krakouer was sentenced to 16 years jail after being convicted of drug trafficking. He was released on parole in August 2004.^[35]
• Collingwood players Jonathon Ross, Trent Hotton and Aaron James were charged with affray after an altercation with security at a Melbourne nightclub in November. Ross was fired, while Hotten and James were fined $5,000 by the AFL.

1997

• Collingwood player Trent Hotton arrived at a pre-season training session intoxicated and was fired on the spot.
• Greg Williams was suspended for nine matches for pushing over umpire Andrew Coates after an Easter Monday clash against Essendon. He appealed to the courts and has the suspension overturned and continues to play, until the AFL appealed to a higher court and had the suspension reinstated, ending Williams's career.^[36]
• Justin Charles was suspended for 16 matches after testing positive for boldenone.^[37]
• Peter Everitt racially abused Essendon's Michael Long, calling Long "an endangered species". Aboriginal St Kilda teammate Nicky Winmar overheard Everitt's remarks.^[38]

1998

• A Hawthorn player was investigated by Honolulu police and Australian Federal Police over an alleged sexual assault on Hawthorn's end of season trip to Hawaii.^[39]
• Alistair Lynch discovered that the drug he had been prescribed for his chronic fatigue syndrome, DHEA, was added to the IOC banned substance list and came forward for advice. His controversial fine was later overturned by the AFL on appeal.^[40]

1999

• Peter Everitt racially abuses Scott Chisholm during a match. This resulted in a $20,000 fine, a self-imposed four-match suspension and to undertake a racial awareness training program. Everitt publicly apologised to Chisholm and his family and to the Aboriginal community.^[41]
• Byron Pickett had his driver's licence revoked for 10 months after he crashed into a fire hydrant in Kensington.^[42]
• Four Brisbane Lions players including Adam Heuskes are accused of rape in England during an end of year trip. British police fly to Australia to interview the players, but charges are not laid, with the players claiming that the sex was consensual.^[43]

2000s

2000

• Gary Ablett was implicated in a hotel room death where a young woman died after an apparent heroin overdose. ^[44]
• Peter Everitt was convicted of offensive behaviour and public drunkenness after his arrest at the 2000 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island.
• Byron Pickett was pulled over by police in Kalgoorlie for speeding and was charged with drink driving. He had his licence suspended for six months.^[42]
• Brad Ottens was arrested for public drunkenness. He was suspended for one match. ^[45]
• Wayne Carey gave character evidence for high profile Melbourne gangster Jason Moran during his County Court trial.^[34]

2001

• Hawthorn player Kris Barlow was alleged to have punched Brett Viney, the brother of former Melbourne captain Todd Viney, in the face during a fight at a Richmond pub in November.^[46]
• Collingwood player Chris Tarrant was fined for careless and unlicensed driving.^[47]

2002

• Wayne Carey was involved in an affair with Kelli Stevens, the wife of his teammate and club vice-captain Anthony Stevens.
• Melbourne's David Schwarz racially abused Carlton's Justin Murphy while playing against Geelong in round three. Schwarz was said to have called him a "coconut".^[48]
• It was reported that Wayne Carey had been questioned by officials at the Adelaide Crows, over an incident where Carey and several friends had been accused of fighting with a group of drinkers in the front bar of the Stamford Grand Hotel.^[34]
• In a July match against Geelong, Collingwood captain Nathan Buckley sustained a cut on his forehead. He wiped the blood on Cameron Ling's guernsey, and was suspended for one match.^[49]
• A woman runs onto the MCG during a game and attempts to touch Greg Stafford. It was later revealed that the woman had been stalking him for five years and was quoted as saying "I am not guilty of stalking Greg ... I am guilty of loving Greg."^[50]
• Swans players on a post-season trip to Tasmania allegedly overturned a bench, unplugged machines and took a bag of potatoes (which they later paid for) from the Elizabeth Town Hotel.^[51]

2003

• Former Essendon premiership player Neil Clarke was found dead in his garage.^[52]

2004

• Stephen Milne and Leigh Montagna had rape allegations laid by two women (charges were never laid due to insufficient evidence).^[53]
• Laurence Angwin and Karl Norman turned up to training under influence of ecstasy. Norman was suspended for six matches by the AFL and Angwin fired by Carlton; Angwin later made public allegations of widespread drug-use within the AFL.^[54]
• Former AFL player Jason Love, coach of the North Cairns Tigers, started an ugly and violent bench-clearing brawl before the AFL Cairns Grand Final against the Port Douglas Crocs. Love was suspended for eight years and the 22 players were suspended for a total of 400 games. The Grand Final was declared a "no result".^[55]
• Former AFL player John McCarthy appeared in an Adelaide court accused of three counts of rape.^[56] He was acquitted.^[57]
• Peter Burgoyne and Adam Heuskes were charged with sexual assault but charges later dropped by the South Australian Director of Public Prosecutions after he did not consider a conviction likely. The pair, along with Michael O'Loughlin who was not alleged to be involved in the assault, were later alleged to have paid the woman $200,000 after she commenced a civil action against the players.^[58][59]
• Danny Jacobs was caught drink-driving and lied about teammate Lance Picioane being with him at the time, initially claiming that he wasn't driving, but just sitting in the car tuning the radio. Both players were fined $5,000 for the incident.^[60]
• Claims of some AFL players wanting to urinate and defecate on women at a strip club during an end of season celebration were leaked.^[61]
• Jeff Farmer pleaded guilty to assaulting his partner by hitting her several times in the head^[62] and was fined $2,000.^[63]
• Quinten Lynch was caught drink driving.^[64]
• A Hawthorn player was investigated by police for an alleged sexual assault.^[65]
• Cameron Cloke of Collingwood was caught doing 144 km/h in a 100 km/h zone.^[66]

2005

• Fremantle Football Club players of Victorian and South Australian origin go on a mid-week mid-season pub crawl, which involves alleged instances of players exposing themselves.^[67]
• Steve Johnson and Andrew Mackie of Geelong were detained by police for being drunk in a public place.^[68]
• Jay Schulz was involved in a drink driving incident; his actions led to a termination of his club's sponsorship with the TAC.^[69]
• Ben Cousins and Michael Gardiner were questioned by police over telephone calls they allegedly received in Melbourne that were made following a brawl and shooting at a Perth nightclub. Police believed they had conversations with at least one of the two men charged with disposing of the gun after the brawl.^[70]
• Gary Dhurrkay was killed in a car accident.^[71]
• Karl Norman left his rented house trashed and with outstanding rent owing.^[72]
• Police admit that a rape investigation into Heath Culpitt was horribly botched after several years' delays and the disappearance of crucial evidence. The chief detective expresses a lack of confidence and the ombudsman recommends disciplinary action against investigators.^[73]
• Lance Whitnall, Nick Stevens and Heath Scotland were in a pub when they witnessed an acquaintance being beaten, kidnapped and tortured by suspected members of an outlaw motorcycle club.^[74].
• Saverio Rocca was whisked away from the imminent birth of his son to a football game in a police vehicle travelling at speed with lights and sirens. After initial denials, police concede that the incident occurred and that the police officer has been counselled.^[75]
• Various allegations are made about rapes,^[76] including drink-spiking^[77] and an attempted drink-spiking against a player's wife.^[77]
• Richmond forward Nathan Brown broke his leg in horrific circumstances, ending his season. He has suffered leg-related injuries since.^[78]
• Justin Leppitsch, Craig Lambert, Jonathan Brown, Tim Notting, Fraser Gehrig and Steven Lawrence were refused entry at Bangkok airport due to undisclosed incidents^[79].

2006

• Tadhg Kennelly "dacked" Lewis Roberts-Thompson in front of female high school students during a visit to St Mary's Star of the Sea College in Wollongong as a practical joke.^[80]
• Lewis Roberts-Thomson was charged with drink driving at the Central Coast on a football holiday. His license was disqualified for 6 months.
• Colin Sylvia allegedly assaulted his girlfriend and threatened to kill a passerby who intervened. It is believed he was intoxicated at the time. After going to court, a Melbourne magistrate ordered him not to harass, threaten or intimidate her and no charges were laid.^[81]
• Brad Ottens of Geelong was pulled over in Doncaster in the early hours of September 9, and was found to have a blood alcohol content of 0.116, more than twice the legal limit.^[82]
• Ben Cousins, upon facing a random road-side alcohol breathalyser test, abandoned his car on a Perth highway and fled on foot before being chased by police. He was later fired as Eagles captain, and fined $5,000 by the AFL and $900 in court.^[83]
• Ashley Sampi was charged after threatening his girlfriend and her sister with a knife. He pleaded guilty and was fined $750.^[84][85]
• Simon Goodwin assaulted a photographer before threatening to "fucking kill" him after an-all morning drinking session at an Adelaide pub.^[86]
• Heath Black was charged with assault, obstructing police and assaulting police after a melee at the Perth Cup.^[86]
• Brodie Holland was fined over various driving offences including driving without a license and driving recklessly. He received no conviction and was fined $560.^[87]
• Campbell Brown was charged with criminal damage and offensive behaviour stemming from his attack on an out of order 7-Eleven ATM. He pleaded guilty to the charges and was placed into a diversionary program for young offenders, receiving no conviction.^[88]
• Brodie Holland was charged with assaulting two women out the front of a Melbourne nightclub.^[89]
• Heath Scotland was charged with recklessly causing serious injury in a pub. He was acquitted on the grounds of self-defence.^[90]
• Dane Swan, Aaron Ramsay and Kade Carey were found guilty of criminal damage and assault charges arising from a brawl at Federation Square where they attacked a cleaner and three security guards after Carey jumped on a parked car.^[91]
• Hawthorn's Mark Williams was convicted of unlicensed driving; former Kangaroos ruckman Corey McKernan was fined for the same charge.^[92]
• The St Kilda vs Fremantle match played on 30 April 2006 at Aurora Stadium in Launceston ended in confusion when the final siren sounded but the umpires did not hear the siren and allowed play to continue for around twenty seconds. During this time St Kilda scored a point to tie the match. Four days after the match concluded, the AFL commission determined that the match should have been ended when the first siren sounded, stripped St Kilda of the final behind, and therefore the two competition points for a draw they prematurely received, and awarded the victory to Fremantle. It was only the second time in VFL/AFL history that the score and result of a game was changed on protest, with the first occurring 106 years previously.^[93]
• Chad Morrison was caught drink-driving and lost his licence.^[94] Collingwood's sponsor, the Transport Accident Commission, fined the club $200,000, and the AFL fined Morrison $20,000^[95].
• Three players returned two positive tests to illicit drug use under the new code. The player's identities are now the subject of ongoing legal action between the AFL, AFLPA and media organisations.^[96]
• Dean Brogan punched Adelaide Crows fan Dale Mortimer at Adelaide Airport after being insulted, breaking Mortimer's nose.^[97] He pleaded guilty and was fined $750.^[98]
• Michael Gardiner was caught drink driving after an incident where he destroyed his car and badly damaged three others. In light of his previous record in being involved in incidents, Gardiner was fined $5,000 by the AFL, and $800 in court. He is suspended by the Eagles indefinitely, and is later traded to St Kilda.^[99]
• Chris Tarrant and Ben Johnson, of Collingwood, were investigated over a brawl at a Port Melbourne nightclub carpark on July 30, where a 28 year-old man is rendered unconscious and brought to hospital with facial injuries.^[100] Both players are fined $5,000 by their club for breaking a 1am curfew. This brought the number of Collingwood footballers to be charged or questioned by police in 2006 to five.^[101] Club President Eddie McGuire condemned the players' behaviour^[102] but refused to suggest they would be suspended. Johnson appeared before a magistrate charged with recklessly causing injury and unlawful assault but avoided conviction.^[103]
• Alan Didak of Collingwood was arrested after a dispute with a taxi driver on October 6, 2006.^[104] It was reported that he disputed a $15 fare difference with taxi driver, and was taken to the Melbourne Custody Centre to sober up, before being released. The club confirmed this in an official statement.^[105]
• Brendan Fevola, on an overseas trip to Ireland as part of the International Rules Series, was involved in an incident where he applied a headlock to a barman and was said to be very drunk.^[106] Fevola was subsequently suspended for the second Test which was to take place the following week and immediately sent home by the AFL to avoid accusations of a junket.^[107]
• Sam Mitchell was assaulted in a Hawthorn hotel on December 4.^[108]
• Jeff Farmer and Steven Dodd were involved in an unspecified "altercation" at Club Bayview in Claremont on December 3.^[109]
• Ben Cousins was arrested for public drunkenness outside of Melbourne's Crown Casino early in the morning of December 3 following his "heated reaction" to being asked to move on by police.^[110][111]
• Andrew Krakouer, along with younger brother Tyrone and another man, were charged with recklessly causing serious injury following an incident outside the Harbourside nightclub in Fremantle on December 22. The alleged victim, Justin Robin Martin, sustained serious head injuries and spent time in intensive care. The charges have later upgraded to intentionally causing serious injury.^[112] The Krakouers were convicted and sentenced to 32 months imprisonment with a non-parole period of 18 months.
• Steve Johnson was arrested for public drunkenness in Wangaratta on December 24. This is his second such arrest in 18 months and he was banned from his club until May 2007 after failing to inform his club for 9 days after the arrest.^[113]
• Heath Black pleaded guilty in the Fremantle Magistrates Court to a charge of disorderly behaviour and was fined $250.^[114]
• Andrew Lovett faced court action after an alleged bashing of ex-girlfriend Kimberlie Watson in April 2006. He allegedly breached an intervention order against him in September 2006.^[115]
• Collingwood players Chris Egan, Leon Davis and Shannon Cox were all suspended for breaking team rules.^[116]
• Jarryd Roughead had his licence suspended for a year after being caught speeding^[117].
• Peter Everitt's family was torn apart in a bitter feud over claims he swindled his sister out of her life savings. Everitt's younger sister, Linda, was threatening legal action against the Hawthorn star, accusing him of conning her into buying a failing juice-bar business.^[118]
• Former Sydney Swans player Daryn Creswell was investigated by Queensland police for alleged sexual assault.^[119]

2007

• Several AFL players were questioned over a hotel scuffle in a St Kilda bar. Players allegedly involved included Fraser Gehrig, Craig McRae, Steven Lawrence, Simon Black and Michael Voss.^[120] Criminal charges were laid against the players in June, 2007.
• Heath Scotland was charged with assault and recklessly causing injury to a female outside a Ballarat night spot at 5am, on February 11. Police alleged that Scotland splashed his drink on her and that when she attempted to push him away, he struck her in the face.^[121][122] With him were Lance Whitnall, Shaun Grigg, Kade Simpson, Brad Fisher and Michael Jamison. All players were fined by the club for breaking curfew.
• Daniel Kerr pleaded guilty to criminal damage and assault for throwing a car aerial at a taxi driver's face outside a Perth hospital and was fined $1,800.^[123]
• Covert police recordings of Kerr discussing the effects of ketamine with a convicted drug dealer were later released through Lateline.^[124] Other sporting figures include footballer Aaron Edwards and basketballer James Harvey, and though not recorded, Ben Cousins is mentioned. Kerr is not sanctioned as he did not know of the conviction.
• As part of an ongoing investigation, four players are named for breaching the AFL's code of conduct forbidding gambling of any type on AFL matches. The players named are Simon Goodwin of the Adelaide Crows (fined a record $40,000), Daniel Ward of Melbourne Demons (fined $10,000), David Hale of the Kangaroos (fined $5,000) and Kieren Jack of the Sydney Swans (reprimanded).^[125]
• New Carlton captain Lance Whitnall is involved in a bizarre bitter public argument with his brother. Tammy Whitnall told 3AW the feud started over a no-show at a Whitnall child's birthday party, followed by a non-invitation to the zoo.^[126]
• Ben Cousins from the West Coast Eagles was suspended indefinitely for attending a training session under the influence of drugs.^[127] His father admitted that his son had a "substance abuse" problem. Ben Cousins underwent and completed drug rehabilitation in the US, returning to Perth on the 30th of April to continue treatment.^[128]
• Chad Fletcher was named as the player who collapsed during a Las Vegas end-of-season trip, allegedly having 'flatlined'. There are conflicting accounts as to whether or not illicit drugs were involved.^[129]
• Brodie Holland was fined $2,500 for his role in a fight with a young woman over a taxi cab. After Hollands fiancee was involved in a scuffle with the woman, Holland approached calling the woman a "stupid slut" before trying to tackle her, placing her in a headlock after which she bit him on the stomach, before striking her in the head with his fist. His court appearance was pushed back on two occasions so not to clash with his football commitments; once he faced court no conviction was recorded and no punishment handed out from his club, Collingwood.^[130][131].
• Des Headland of the Fremantle Football Club is cleared by the AFL Tribunal despite being found guilty of striking and wrestling. Headland had an on-field altercation with West Coast's Adam Selwood after Selwood allegedly made derogatory remarks about his daughter. Selwood is also cleared.^[132]
• Michael Braun was fined $5,500 for concluding an acceptance speech for the Ross Glenndinning Medal on live television with "Let's have a fucking good year".^[133]
• David Teague is acquitted of careless driving after an incident which left a woman a quadriplegic.^[134]
• The Australian Football League is criticised by much of the media for their drugs policy that is "soft" on illicit drugs. All AFL players will be drug-tested around once a year on average whereas players from the National Rugby League are tested 7.5 times per year on average^[135].
• Fremantle player Jeff Farmer knocked out a bouncer in the suburb of Northbridge after being refused entry to a nightclub. He was suspended for six matches and fined $5,000 by the AFL, and was fined $3,000 in court.^[136]
• Ray Hall from the Richmond Tigers was suspended for three weeks, fined $5,000 and ordered to do community service by the AFL ^[137] after he was allegedly involved in an altercation with a patron in a Melbourne bar; police did not lay any charges.^[138].
• Des Headland was involved in a physical altercation on the streets of Northbridge.^[139]
• Chris Tarrant from Fremantle mooned a female patron in a Darwin nightclub and punched Labor Candidate for Solomon, Damian Hale, in the face. Tarrant was suspended for one match, placed on two matches probation, and fined $5,000; police did not lay charges due to no complaint being made.^[140]
• Alan Didak was questioned by police in June over his acquaintance with Christopher Wayne Hudson, who Didak drank with at 4am in a strip club before a wild ride in the week before the CBD shootings.^[141][142]
• Two high-profile Melbourne based footballers are revealed to be undergoing treatment for drug addiction at a clinic in Ivanhoe, after leaked records were 'found' in a gutter and sold to Channel 7. A court injunction prevents the name of the players or club involved to be named. Police later raid the Channel 7 offices and charge two employees with theft. The AFLPA encourages players to boycott Channel 7 and not answer questions from their reporters in press conferences.^[143]
• Ben Hudson was dropped by the Adelaide Crows for breaking a curfew.^[144]
• On the eve of Geelong's 2007 AFL Grand Final appearance, David Johnson was arrested in regards to an assault in Geelong at 4:15am. He was not selected to play in the grand final, but was a member of the Geelong VFL side's premiership the previous week.^[145]
• Ivan Maric and John Meesen of the Adelaide Crows were caught posting hand-drawn pornographic pictures on a website accessible to children.^[146]
• Chris Mainwaring, a dual premiership player with the West Coast Eagles and Seven Network sports newsreader, is found dead in his Cottesloe home, aged 41.^[147]
• Ben Cousins is arrested in Northbridge and later charged with possession of an illegal substance and refusing a blood test.^[148] He is later fired by the club. The possession charge made against Cousins is subsequently dropped, due to the drug being possessed (Valium) actually being legal to possess. The charge of refusing a blood test is deferred for 90 days while Cousins attends a Malibu drug rehabilitation clinic. Instead, Cousins ends up in an LA hospital after reportedly going on a cocaine binge. The charge of refusing a blood test is later dropped on a technicality.^[149]
• Aaron Edwards, Shannon Grant and Hamish McIntosh of the North Melbourne Football Club were ejected from a Lionel Richie winery gig near Drysdale, Victoria after a brawl with security and police.^[150]

2008

• Collingwood rookie Sharrod Wellingham was charged with drink-driving having recorded a blood alcohol content reading of 0.13; he lost his licence for a year. Collingwood announced they were cutting ties with the TAC sponsorship shortly after. It was the third serious traffic infringement for a Collingwood player during the period of the safe driving sponsorship.^[47]
• Nathan Krakouer of Port Adelaide was suspended from driving following numerous repeated traffic offences.^[151]
• Steve Johnson of Geelong was booked after caught doing 128 km/h in a 50 km/h zone on the way to a golf course. This is Johnson's third indiscretion involving police in two and a half years after incidents in 2005 and late 2006.^[152]
• Ex-North Melbourne premiership captain Wayne Carey is capsicum sprayed and handcuffed after assaulting police officers answering a domestic disturbance complaint at his apartment in Port Melbourne.^[153] Following this incident it is found that he was arrested in Miami, Florida in October 2007 after allegedly striking his girlfriend Kate Neilson with a wine glass and is to face charges of assaulting police, resisting arrest and assault at Miami-Dade County Court on February 15.^[154] Following this and the previous incident, he was fired from several media positions.^[155] He sold his story to New Idea magazine, confessing that he has a cocaine abuse problem.^[156] He was charged with assaulting police and resisting arrest by Victorian Police.
• West Coast draftee Chris Masten was charged with affray and public drunkenness after a brawl at an Australia Day barbecue. He was fined $2,000 by the AFL, and $750 in court.^[157] In light of its recent history, West Coast were also warned that any further incidents would result in the team being disqualified from the NAB Cup and starting the regular season with a four-point deficit.
• Richmond captain Kane Johnson was arrested for urinating outside St Kilda Road police complex. He was suspended for 1 match and fined $5,000 by the AFL.^[158]
• Sydney full-forward Barry Hall was handed a seven-match suspension for king hitting West Coast's Brent Staker in the jaw in an off-the-ball incident. Staker received bruising and a concussion, causing him to miss the remainder of the game and the next game. Hall later in the same game broke his wrist on a billboard.^[159]
• A match between the Sydney Swans and the Kangaroos ended in a draw after the Swans kicked a behind to level the scores in the dying seconds of the match. Sydney were later found to have had 19 players on the field during this period, Darren Jolly having unintentionally remained on the field after his intended substitute Jesse White entered the field of play. Jolly was instrumental in setting up the play that resulted in the behind that tied the score. The AFL fined the Sydney Swans $55,000 ($2,500 per player) for the breach.^[160]
• Jeff Farmer was dropped for not attending a compulsory recovery session with Fremantle after the weekend's loss to St Kilda in Melbourne.^[161]
• Melbourne's Aaron Davey was dropped by his club for 'unprofessional' behaviour.^[162]
• Sydney full-forward Barry Hall was handed a one-match suspension for attempting to strike Collingwood's Shane Wakelin.^[163] Sydney later announced will not play Hall indefinitely.^[164][165] Sydney co-captain Brett Kirk later claimed that Hall's habit of hitting opposition players off the ball is a "bad habit".^[166]
• North Melbourne's Shannon Grant was suspended for one match for knocking over a portaloo at a function.^[167]
• Adelaide's Scott Thompson pleaded guilty in an Adelaide court to seriously injuring a passenger whilst doing burnouts in his car and leaving the scene of the accident.^[168]
• Collingwood's Heath Shaw was arrested for drink driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.14 after crashing his car into two parked cars. The following day, Collingwood's President Eddie McGuire said that Collingwood wouldn't suspend Shaw from playing.^[169] It later became known that Shaw, club captain Scott Burns and McGuire were incorrect in regards to insisting that Collingwood player Alan Didak wasn't in the car at the time of the accident.^[170][171] Shaw was suspended indefinitely and Didak for the remainder of the season for lying to the club, while Rhyce Shaw was suspended for two matches for drinking whilst injured.
• On December 20, Hawthorn's Brent Renouf jumped on two parked cars at Burwood Road in Hawthorn, shattering the back windscreen of one of them. Police charged him with criminal damage; he was suspended for two matches and fined $5,000.^[172]
• Collingwood forward Travis Cloke was hurt in a confrontation with several men while holidaying with friends in Maroochydore, Queensland.^[173]

2009

• Ron Barassi received serious bruising after coming to the aid of a 43-year-old woman who was allegedly being assaulted in St Kilda.^[174]
• Brad Symes of the Adelaide Football Club broke his left thumb and right wrist after falling from a moving vehicle, having hitched a ride on the boot of a car and fell off when the car negotiated a speed bump. Initial indications were that he would be sidelined for up to 8 weeks.^[175]
• Jackson Trengrove of Port Adelaide was fined $1250 for damaging a car windscreen after a drinking session.^[176]
• Aaron Edwards of North Melbourne was caught driving over the speed limit by police and found to be drink-driving. He was suspended for the entire 2009 NAB Cup plus the first four matches of the 2009 premiership season by the AFL.^[177] North Melbourne were also severely reprimanded.
• Albert Proud of Brisbane was charged with assault after he threw a glass at a female patron at a Gold Coast nightclub. In response, the Lions withdrew him from the Indigenous All-Stars representative side.^[178]
• Wayne Carey pleaded guilty to assaulting Victorian police and resisting arrest; he was fined $2,000.^[179] Carey was also fined $700 and ordered to do community service for assaulting two police officers and resisting arrest in Miami.
• Ryan Cook of Collingwood is charged over an alleged assault of a man, causing facial injuries requiring surgery.^[180]
• Setanta Ó hAilpín was suspended for four matches after punching and kicking teammate Cameron Cloke at an intra-club match at Visy Park.^[181]
• Colin Sylvia of Melbourne was fined $5,000 for turning up to training in an unfit condition.^[182]
• The North Melbourne club took responsibility for the posting of a lewd video, Boris the Rooster, on the internet. Ringleaders Adam Simpson and Daniel Pratt were both fined $20,000, with the remaining 38 players on the North Melbourne roster being fined $10,000 each.^[182]
• Nathan Bock of Adelaide Football Club was charged with assaulting his girlfriend after a fight. He was dropped for the next match by the Crows. ^[183]
• St Kilda's Stephen Baker was assaulted in a Colac hotel ^[184].
• Police investigated a report that someone shot at Collingwood forward Travis Cloke's house. Reports said a single bullet shattered an upstairs window of the house in which Cloke lives with his parents.^[185]
• Ben Cousins was fined $2,500 for giving an unmanned changeroom camera the finger at Subiaco Oval before the Fremantle v Richmond match.^[186]
• Former Geelong player and media identity Sam Newman was charged with criminal damage, illegal parking and offensive behaviour over a road rage incident in Middle Park ^[187].
• A drunk female Brisbane Lions fan threw beer over the Western Bulldogs' Brad Johnson as he was handing out Bulldogs caps behind the goals after the final siren of the Brisbane-Western Bulldogs match in Round 20.^[188]
• Lance Franklin was punched in the face during a brawl in a pub in Perth. No serious injury was caused, but Franklin said the attack was unprovoked.^[189]
• Carlton player Brendan Fevola became intoxicated and publicly misbehaved at the Brownlow Medal awards. Fevola was fined $10,000 by the AFL, fired from the Nine Network and traded to the Brisbane Lions. ^[190]
• Essendon footballer Nathan Lovett-Murray charged with possession of drugs and driving while unlicensed as a result of a raid on his Essendon home where a police search found a single tablet of ecstasy. ^[191] The drug charge was later dropped. ^[192]
• Essendon footballer Michael Hurley is arrested for assaulting a taxi driver after being asked to pay his fare.^[193] He was suspended for four matches for the incident.
• Scott Pendlebury was assaulted in Lakes Entrance, Victoria by a group of intoxicated youths. ^[194]
• St Kilda player Andrew Lovett was arrested in early November for public drunkenness.^[195]
• Four Carlton players were involved in incidents following a "booze cruise" on the Yarra River: Rookie Levi Casboult was barely conscious when his family picked him up, ^[196] Eddie Betts was arrested in Queen Street for drunkenness and hit with a $200 on-the-spot-fine,^[197] and Ryan Houlihan and Andrew Walker were involved in a brawl with security staff at Crown Casino.^[198] Casboult was severely reprimanded by the AFL, while Betts, Houlihan and Walker were all suspended for 30 days plus the entire NAB Cup and fined $5,000. Carlton were also warned that they would be ejected from the Cup and fined $100,000 for any further alcohol-related incidents.
• Levi Casboult was involved in a fatal car crash.^[199]
• St Kilda player Andrew Lovett was charged with rape and fired.^[200]

2010

• Hawthorn's Brent Renouf has skin grafts after being knocked into a fire on a Gold Coast beach.^[201]
• Richmond's Troy Taylor is accused of assault in Alice Springs. ^[202]
• Geelong's Mathew Stokes was arrested and charged with possession and trafficking of cocaine.^[203]

See also

• List of Rugby league incidents
• List of Rugby union incidents
• List of cricket incidents
• List of violent spectator incidents in sports (worldwide list of spectator events)
• Violence in sports (Analysis and history of violence world sporting events)

Further reading

• Fair Game? - Investigative journalism of allegations of AFL rapes and attempts to silence the victims. From the ABC's Four Corners program.
• The AFL Player Spectator - Comprehensive resource scrutinising the negative off-field behaviour of AFL players.
• Football Fans Against Sexual Assault - An activist group lobbying for changes to attitudes to sexual assault within the AFL and National Rugby League.
• Mike Daube (March 31, 2007). "The time has come to end glamourising alcohol sponsorship". The Australian. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21475237-23289,00.html. Retrieved 2007-04-21. 
• Booze is where drug problem starts Article in The Australian about alcohol problems among AFL players

References