Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick won’t be penalised for swearing in press conference
After his team fell to lowly North Melbourne on Saturday, Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick dropped some colourful language and the AFL wasn’t happy.
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AFL footy boss Laura Kane has described Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick’s press conference F-bomb as “passionate” as she ruled out taking further action against him or the club.
Hardwick has come under fire for saying it was time for the Suns to “grow the f**k up” during his debrief with media following Saturday’s loss to AFL battlers North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium.
It was the eighth loss from eight road games for the Suns who are yet to play finals in their 13 seasons in the league and now sit 12th and in a dogfight to reach September.
Addressing the issue on Monday, Kane said the league had spoken to Hardwick and while the AFL “clearly” doesn’t encourage the use of such language, the three-time premiership coach wouldn’t be sanctioned.
“The Gold Coast were proactive,” Kane told AFL.com.au’s Footy Feed Extra on Monday.
“I spoke to them immediately after the press conference.
Damien Hardwick’s post-match reaction to Gold Coast’s loss.@7aflpic.twitter.com/7JWE0HoVML
— Theo Doropoulos (@TheoDrop) July 6, 2024
“We clearly don’t encourage that kind of language or behaviour in our press conferences, but the game is passionate and I think what we saw is a passionate coach who is invested in his players.
“We’ve addressed it with the Gold Coast and there’ll be no further action for Damien or the club.
“We spoke to them about making sure they’re comfortable with what’s delivered in their post-game press conference. Their proactive follow-up suggests they’re aware. We’ve addressed it and there’s nothing further for the Gold Coast.”
Kangaroos coach Alastair Clarkson recently also avoided sanction after a league investigation into a comment he made while coaching from the bench in Tasmania in round 12.
Originally published as Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick won’t be penalised for swearing in press conference
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