Dead footballer’s dad makes devastating AFL drug use claim

Harley Balic and Georgia Ward. Photo: Daniel wilkins and Paul Kane, Getty Images.

Explosive details have emerged about the death of a former AFL player at the age of 25 with the league put under investigation.

The father of former footballer Harley Balic has blamed the AFL over his son’s death at the age of 25.

Balic died in January, 2022, just days after his birthday. Police found no suspicious circumstances.

Balic was drafted by Fremantle as the No. 38 pick in the 2015 AFL Draft. He made his debut for the Dockers in 2017, playing four senior games before he was traded to Melbourne.

Balic also played in Peel Thunder’s 2016 WAFL premiership.

He did not play a senior game for the Demons and retired during his only season with the club in August, 2018, at the age of 21, saying he had lot passion for the game.

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In 2020, Balic spoke publicly about issues with depression and anxiety he had suffered following the end of his football career.

Balic’s father Eddie Balic has now revealed to The Herald Sun his son died after a long battle with drug addiction.

In an explosive development, News Corp reports that during his career Balic was placed into the AFL’s controversial “medical model” that opens the door for players to take illicit substances without facing penalties.

According to the report, Balic’s death has become the focus of a Sports Integrity Australia (SIA) investigation.

The Australian anti-doping watch dog in March said it had begun assessing allegations made by Federal MP Andrew Wilkie surrounding the sport’s illicit drug policy.

Harley Balic of the Dockers sidesteps Sharrod Wellingham of the Eagles. Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images.

The league came under fire last month when Wilkie in parliament shared bombshell testimony from whistleblowers, including former Melbourne doctor Zeeshan Arain, that accused the league of covering up cases where players tested positive for illicit substances outside of competition.

Following the claims, the AFL for the first time admitted to having a secret, off-the-books drug testing operation.

Suggestions players would be able to fake injuries in order to be pulled out of matches at late notice — to avoid match day anti-doping drug tests — sparked fierce debate about the clandestine testing program.

The AFL, however, refused to take a backwards step in supporting its “medical model” that prioritises the health and wellbeing of players under the voluntary illicit drug testing policy agreed to by the AFL Players’ Association.

A key pillar of the code’s illicit drug policy is that players with noted drug problems are placed into the so-called “medical model” where drug strikes are not recorded and only club doctors are informed if a player tests positive for an illicit substance.

It was reported in March up to 100 AFL players are inside the model.

Balic’s alleged positive drug tests during his career were also kept quiet — as is consistent with the AFL’s policy, according to News Corp.

Eddie Balic says he believes his son’s death could have been prevented if the league had “better supports” in place.

Harley Balic and Georgia Ward. Photo: Daniel wilkins and Paul Kane, Getty Images.

“I believe that the AFL has a duty of care to formally intervene early into young vulnerable players who have been identified as having substance abuse issues,” he told The Herald Sun.

“I also feel that had better support been put in place early for my son, it may have prevented this tragic outcome.

“The huge disappointment is that the AFL knew a lot and as a family we weren’t told. We may have saved him earlier.

“To this day it disappoints me that no one from senior management of the AFL has ever made contact with me over the terrible loss of my son.”

St Kilda coach Ross Lyon, who coached Balic at Fremantle, addressed the situation during his weekly media opoortunity on Wednesday.

The 57-year-old was emotional when speaking about their relationship, saying it was clear his former pupil needed “support and medical attention”.

“I was Fremantle coach at the time. I was, and I think the Balic family will tell you, particularly his mum, I was very close to Harley, I had a personal relationship,” Lyon said, according to NCA NewsWire.

“I spent a lot of time one-on-one with Harley. I understand it deeply.

“It’s not for me to dive into it. What I will say, I’m not even sure what I will say, if the AFL illicit policy is really about that medical model. My experience and what Harley shared with me, he clearly sat in where he needed support and medical attention.”

Among the information shared by Wilkie with SIA was a claim made by Arain that suggested AFL clubs “move players on” when it becomes clear they can’t help them

“The problem is that the player doesn’t cease to exist to be a person once they are not in your club, the duty of care still goes on,” he reportedly said in the testimony given to Wilkie.

“Take Harley Balic, for example. A few years after Harley Balic left the Melbourne Football Club he was dead related to drug use.”

Among the shock details to emerge on Wednesday was an allegation Balic witnessed footballers using drugs when he joined the Dockers as a teenager.

Balic was a self-confessed “mother’s boy” when he left his family home in Melbourne to move to Perth after being selected by the Dockers in 2015.

New Fremantle Dockers recruit Harley Balic in 2015.

He suffered a wrist injury in 2016 and was granted an indefinite leave of absence for “personal issues” in 2017 before he left the club.

His return to Melbourne with the Demons the following year didn’t fix the personal issues he was dealing with.

He told the Demons in his retirement message he was at peace with the decision to call it quits.

“It was an easy decision in the end, as I’ve thought about it for a little while now,” he said in 2018.

“It’s something I’m not going to regret and I’m very appreciative to Melbourne for letting me come to the club for a second chance.

“I’ve always loved football, but my heart’s not in it and everything ends up being a grind and I think it’s just the right thing to do.

“The (club’s) VFL and AFL (teams) are both going to be successful this year and it’s something I’d love to be a part of, if I loved it, but unfortunately I don’t and it’s time to go out into the real world and see what else is out there for me.”