This was published 8 years ago
AFL draft 2015: Carlton recruit Charlie Curnow to learn from his blue
By Ashley Porter
Adelaide: Carlton coach Brendon Bolton has moved swiftly following Charlie Curnow's run-in with the law by scheduling an intense education program for the new draft pick.
As Curnow continued to express remorse and shame following his arrest early last Friday for allegedly being drunk in a public place and refusing a blood test, Bolton stood by him strongly declaring Curnow was not a bad person but had made a bad mistake.
Charlie CurnowCredit: Getty Images
"Our club is the new re-set Carlton and it is strong on education and learning so we are going to continue to really educate him," Bolton said.
"The thing is, we have got some good leaders here ... Marc Murphy, Bryce Gibbs, Simmo (Kade Simpson); he's going to be able to learn from those boys as well. It is going to be ongoing education.
"Because he is from a quality family and is a quality person, the incident put no doubt in my mind. He made a mistake that he has got to learn from. We want him to get into the footy club, roll his sleeves up and work really hard.
Curnow said he could not deny the allegations had dampened the excitement of being drafted as Carlton's third pick and No. 12 overall and especially joining his brother Ed at the club.
"Obviously I made a terrible mistake and it is something that I deeply regret," Charlie Curnow said. "It is something that I am going to have to deal with.
"I have let a lot of people down, and I am just lucky that Carlton had the faith to pick me. I am now going to try and earn respect back.
"It has been a massive wake-up call. I have definitely learned a lot. There are some good lessons there to take home and learn from.
"I am not just going to forget about it. It was a terrible decision. It is something I need to work on. I am hoping this will make me a better player; how I react to it. I let a lot of people down and I am ashamed of that. I have to be stronger.
"It has dampened the excitement a bit, but I am still pretty excited right now. I get to go to a club next week with my brother. He's really good with guidance and he's going to help me in lots of areas."