Scott backs Kolodjashnij's right to privacy as AFL concussion investigation nears its end
Geelong coach Chris Scott has defended Jake Kolodjashnij's right to privacy, insisting the playing group remains united despite the concussion-waiver saga that has engulfed the club for the better part of a week.
Kolodjashnij, 31, identified himself on August 8 as the player at the centre of Geelong's secret concussion deal — a waiver clause in his contract that the AFL and the AFL Players' Association had never seen. The AFL has since issued the club a belated "please explain" and hired independent legal counsel to help determine whether sanctions apply. Findings from the investigation were expected early this week, rather than on the originally flagged date. ABC News
Scott, who said he was unaware of the waiver until news broke, refused to detail why Kolodjashnij had been ruled out of the weekend's matches against North Melbourne. "I think any player deserves the right to privacy," he told reporters. He would not mount an impassioned defence of anyone at the club, saying his responsibility was to respect Kolodjashnij's privacy "even if it is to Geelong's detriment." Nine News
Kolodjashnij has been confirmed unavailable at both AFL and VFL level this weekend. He has played 11 senior games in 2026, was managed out of the side in round 19, and has made one VFL appearance since. Out of contract at season's end, he would become a free agent — the mechanism that lets a player move clubs unbid — if no new deal is struck before then. ABC News
The backstory is sobering. Kolodjashnij suffered concussions during the 2024 season and signed a two-year deal with Geelong running through 2026. When he faced the AFL's independent concussion panel that year, he received no definitive answer on whether he should keep playing or retire. He was left in limbo. His twin brother Kade, who played for Gold Coast and Melbourne, retired prematurely in 2020 because of concussion. The wider toll is stark: Angus Brayshaw, Jeremy McGovern and Paddy McCartin have all been forced out of the game by repeated head knocks. ABC News
In a statement released through the club on August 7, Kolodjashnij said he had participated fully in the AFL's independent concussion panel process and that his private medical information had been made public. Geelong's own club statement, issued a day earlier, said discussions involving the club's chief medical officer and the AFL concussion panel had been documented in a letter. Geelong Cats
The fallout has reached the top of the game. AFL Commission chair Craig Drummond — a former Geelong president — apologised for the mistakes made while he was at the club. Geelong chief executive Steve Hocking has also been under fire. The Cats' skipper conceded the club "buggered up" in its handling of the matter. AFL.com.au
Scott said there has been no negativity within the playing group since Kolodjashnij came forward. Whether the AFL agrees that the club handled things cleanly is another question — and the answer is due any day.
