Geelong CEO Steve Hocking faced the media on August 7 to address a concussion situation that has drawn the AFL's scrutiny, admitting the club failed to properly lodge a player waiver with the league and its players' association.

Hocking revealed Geelong had received a "please explain" letter from the AFL — a formal request for the club to account for its handling of the matter. He called the failure to lodge the waiver a "misstep in the process" and took personal responsibility for it, while noting he has the backing of the club's board (ABC News).

The waiver process itself ran over roughly two months and involved the player's representatives, including family and legal representation. Hocking said the player was "very, very clear and involved" throughout and still feels care from the club today. Once completed, the waiver was handed back to the football club, placing responsibility with the club's medical officer, the player, the board and the executive team.

Chris Scott, Geelong's two-time premiership coach, is not across the concussion matter, according to Hocking — meaning the issue has been handled at executive and medical level rather than by the senior coach. Hocking also refused to weigh into the complexity surrounding former Cats president Craig Drummond, who now sits on the AFL Commission, a position that could be seen as complicating the league's oversight of the club (ABC News).

The AFL's concussion protocols — the step-by-step medical process a player must pass through before returning to play after a head knock — have been a recurring theme at Geelong. The club's health updates across the 2025 and 2026 seasons have listed multiple players entering or progressing through the protocol, including vice-captain Tom Stewart, defender Lawson Humphries, midfielder Jhye Clark and forward Jeremy Cameron (Geelong Cats; Geelong Cats; Geelong Cats; Geelong Cats).

A waiver in this context is a formal document acknowledging the risks of a player returning from concussion. It requires sign-off from the player, the club's medical staff and ultimately the AFL and AFLPA to ensure all parties accept the medical decision. Geelong completed the process with the player but did not file the paperwork with the league.

For footy fans, the stakes around concussion management have never been higher. The AFL has tightened its protocols in recent years amid growing medical evidence about the long-term risks of repeated head trauma. A club failing to lodge the required paperwork — even if the medical decision itself was sound — gives the league grounds to question whether the process is being followed correctly.

Hocking's decision to front the media directly, rather than issuing a statement, suggests Geelong understands the gravity of the situation. Whether the AFL accepts the club's explanation, or imposes a sanction, will become clear in the coming days.