Did the AFL know more about Geelong’s controversial concussion agreement than it initially revealed?
That question now sits at the centre of the Jake Kolodjashnij saga, with Geelong reportedly preparing to produce email correspondence showing league officials were consulted before the defender signed the agreement in 2024.
The existence and contents of those emails have not yet been independently disclosed. However, reports suggest they will form a major part of Geelong’s response to the AFL’s “please explain” notice.
Emails could reshape the investigation
According to Fox Sports’ report, Geelong will rely on correspondence detailing discussions between club and league officials during the creation of the informed-consent document.
The Age reported that Geelong and the AFL “liaised on the informed consent document” before it was finalised in February 2024, with key league figures allegedly aware that negotiations were taking place.
That does not necessarily mean the AFL approved the final waiver.
Geelong chief executive Steve Hocking has already accepted responsibility for failing to formally lodge the agreement with the AFL and AFL Players’ Association.
“I take responsibility for the fact that we didn’t lodge it with the AFL and the PA,” Hocking said.
“Whatever the AFL decide to do from here is up to them.”
The distinction could become crucial. If Geelong can demonstrate that AFL officials knew about the discussions, it may challenge suggestions the entire arrangement was concealed from league headquarters.
It would not, however, excuse the failure to submit the completed document through the required process.
What did Kolodjashnij sign?
Kolodjashnij signed the agreement in 2024 after undergoing an independent concussion assessment.
The document included a waiver through which the defender effectively accepted legal responsibility for the effects of potential future brain trauma. It was intended to protect Geelong and its medical staff from possible legal action.
The AFL has said it was satisfied the document was not used to allow a medically unfit player to return to football.
The waiver has since been removed.
Kolodjashnij identified himself as the player involved after details of the confidential agreement became public.
“I participated fully in the AFL’s independent concussion panel process, respected its independence, and was comfortable with the outcome,” he said.
“I have continued playing AFL football since.
“What disappoints me most is that my private medical information has been made public. Everyone deserves the right to keep their confidential medical information private.”
Kolodjashnij also said he was healthy and focused on playing his role for Geelong over the remainder of the season.
Drummond admits Geelong went too far
The scandal has placed AFL Commission chair Craig Drummond in an uncomfortable position.
Drummond was Geelong president when the agreement was executed. He has removed himself from the AFL’s assessment of the case and acknowledged the club should not have included the waiver.
“Regardless of the player’s agreement, the club went too far in adding a waiver into an informed consent document and it will be removed,” Drummond said.
“There was also a process failure in relation to lodgement of the agreement with the AFL and the AFLPA.
“I apologise for the mistakes made in this very complex situation.”
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon is overseeing the league’s response, with Geelong reportedly facing a substantial financial sanction for failing to lodge the document properly.
No penalty had been formally announced at the time of writing.
Dangerfield concedes Cats “buggered up”
Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield has strongly defended Hocking’s character but admitted mistakes were made.
“He’s a man of the highest integrity—we’re lucky to have him,” Dangerfield said.
“Clearly there were some parts that we buggered up as a club. We can be better.”
The controversy has also taken a personal toll on Kolodjashnij. Geelong assistant coach Nathan Buckley said the premiership defender had been “pretty rattled” by the public attention surrounding the matter.
That should not be forgotten as the AFL and Geelong attempt to protect their own positions.
The emails cannot erase Geelong’s mistake
Even if the reported correspondence supports Geelong’s claim that the AFL knew negotiations were occurring, the Cats still failed to lodge the final agreement with the league and players’ association.
The emails may provide context, but they cannot make that administrative failure disappear.
They could instead widen the controversy by raising questions about what AFL officials knew, when they knew it and why the arrangement was not stopped or formally reviewed before Kolodjashnij signed it.
Geelong has already admitted it got parts of the process wrong. Its response may now determine whether the blame remains concentrated at GMHBA Stadium—or spreads to AFL headquarters.
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