AFL won’t follow NRL with no fault stand-down rule for players charged over sexual assault

The AFL is confident it has appropriate powers to stand down players charged with serious sexual assault and won’t adopt tough NRL rules that have been acclaimed for taking a hard-line stance on respect towards women.

Jordan De Goey of the Magpies.

The AFL has no plans to introduce a “no fault stand down” policy, confident it has a range of powers to prevent a player charged with serious assault from playing football.

Collingwood midfielder Jordan De Goey will continue playing ahead of an October 30 Melbourne Magistrates Court appearance after being charged with indecent assault.

The NRL has a “no fault stand down policy” under which players charged with serious offences unable to play until their cases are resolved.

St George Illawarra player Jack De Belin is currently sitting out his second season after being charged with sexual assault.

But De Goey would not be stood down even under the NRL’s rule because the maximum penalty for his charge would earn him 10 years in prison under Victorian laws.

A player needs to have been charged with an offence that would see him serve more than 11 years in prison under the maximum sentence to trigger the tough NRL rules.

Senior AFL sources confirmed the league believes it can strike an appropriate balance between serious charges and the presumption of innocence.

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Jordan De Goey will miss Collingwood’s clash against Hawthorn.

The league’s integrity team and Victoria police investigated De Goey’s conduct in 2018 but no charges were laid, so it is aware of the exact nature of the offence.

Stephen Milne was stood down for three weeks when he was charged with rape in 2013, eventually returning to the field before his career finished at the end of that season.

North Melbourne’s Majak Daw was allowed to play for 17 months while facing a rape charge.

He was cleared in December 2015, but the league would likely make a different call on him playing football five years on.

De Goey and teammate Steele Sidebottom will fly to Perth after both record two negative COVID-19 tests and then rejoin teammates in quarantine.

Collingwood has chosen not to play De Goey this weekend after he was arrested on Saturday.

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Originally published as AFL won’t follow NRL with no fault stand-down rule for players charged over sexual assault