Jake Kolodjashnij will step away from football this weekend as Geelong’s concussion waiver controversy continues to engulf the premiership defender.
The Cats have confirmed he will not play at AFL or VFL level, while the AFL has engaged independent legal counsel to review the club’s handling of the controversial agreement.
Kolodjashnij Unavailable at Both Levels
Kolodjashnij missed Geelong training on Monday and will be unavailable for Saturday’s match against North Melbourne.
The club has not described his absence as a retirement, concussion recurrence or formal indefinite leave of absence.
“Jake Kolodjashnij will be unavailable for selection at AFL or VFL level this weekend,” Geelong said.
“The care and wellbeing of Jake remains the club’s priority, and the club will continue to support him and his family through this period.”
The development was reported by Nine’s coverage of Jake Kolodjashnij stepping away during Geelong’s concussion saga.
There is no confirmed timetable for his return.
Buckley Says Career Is in a “Holding Pattern”
Geelong assistant coach Nathan Buckley said the sudden exposure of Kolodjashnij’s private medical circumstances had dramatically altered his position.
“He was going along his business, having chosen his path forward and wanting to play the game and understanding the risks and the circumstance that he was in,” Buckley told Fox Footy.
“With the advent of this revelation, his circumstances have changed quite significantly.”
Buckley said Kolodjashnij’s immediate playing future had effectively been paused while the investigation continued.
“He’s in a holding pattern, waiting to see what happens to his career beyond here.”
That comment should not be interpreted as confirmation that the 31-year-old is preparing to retire.
Kolodjashnij remains contracted until the end of the 2026 season, and Geelong has only ruled him out for one weekend at this stage.
What Kolodjashnij Signed
Kolodjashnij signed an informed-consent document with Geelong in 2024 following an assessment by the AFL’s independent concussion panel.
The document acknowledged the potential risks of continuing his career and included a waiver that sought to limit possible future legal claims against Geelong and its medical staff relating to brain trauma.
Neither the AFL nor AFL Players’ Association was formally notified of or approved the completed document.
The waiver has since been removed.
The AFL has stressed that the agreement was not used to return a medically unfit player to football.
“The AFL is satisfied that the letter was not used by Geelong to allow a medically unfit player to return to play,” the league and players’ association said in a joint statement.
The investigation therefore centres on the waiver’s wording, its effect on the player’s legal protections and Geelong’s failure to lodge the agreement—not an established allegation that the Cats knowingly fielded an unfit footballer.
Kolodjashnij Had Defended His Decision
Kolodjashnij identified himself as the player involved after public speculation intensified.
In a statement released through Geelong, he defended the medical process but expressed disappointment that confidential information had become public.
“I participated fully in the AFL’s independent concussion panel process, respected its independence, and was comfortable with the outcome,” Kolodjashnij said.
“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.”
He also said he was healthy and wanted to contribute throughout the remainder of Geelong’s season.
“I am healthy, feeling good and focused on playing my role for the team for the remainder of the season.”
Those comments were released before the Cats confirmed his absence from football this weekend.
The change does not establish that Kolodjashnij has suffered another concussion or received new medical advice. Geelong has framed the decision around his care and wellbeing rather than disclosing a physical diagnosis.
Independent Lawyer Joins AFL Review
The AFL has appointed independent legal counsel to help assess Geelong’s submission and advise the Commission.
“Across the weekend, the AFL CEO and Commission met—minus Craig Drummond—and engaged independent legal counsel to assist the Commission’s determination in response to Geelong’s submission,” an AFL spokesperson said.
The external lawyer will review the relevant material, but the AFL Commission will retain responsibility for determining whether Geelong breached league rules and whether any sanction should be imposed.
No punishment has been announced.
Reports have suggested Geelong could receive a substantial financial penalty, potentially reaching six figures, but that remains speculation until the AFL completes its process.
Craig Drummond Recuses Himself
AFL Commission chair Craig Drummond was Geelong’s president when Kolodjashnij signed the agreement in 2024.
He has removed himself from the AFL’s deliberations because of that direct connection.
“I have not and will not be involved in any deliberation in relation to this matter and its assessment under the AFL rules and regulations,” Drummond said.
Drummond has also acknowledged that Geelong 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,” he said.
“There was also a process failure in relation to lodgement of the agreement with the AFL and the AFLPA.”
Drummond apologised for those mistakes while stressing that the document could not remove protections provided under statutory workplace health and safety laws.
Geelong Accepts It Made a Mistake
Cats chief executive Steve Hocking has taken responsibility for failing to submit the completed agreement to the AFL and AFLPA.
“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.”
Geelong has maintained that it was trying to provide Kolodjashnij with information and agency when deciding whether to continue playing.
The club says he was not directed to retire and the waiver was not intended to vary the standard AFL playing contract or avoid its legal safety obligations.
However, even Geelong’s own statements concede the document “went further than was intended”.
That admission means the remaining argument is unlikely to be whether an error occurred. The central questions concern how serious it was, who knew about the process and what punishment is appropriate.
Reported Emails Could Become Crucial
Geelong is reportedly relying on email correspondence indicating that discussions occurred with AFL officials before the agreement was finalised.
If those emails demonstrate that league personnel knew negotiations were taking place, they could complicate any attempt to portray the arrangement as entirely secret.
They would not automatically prove that the AFL approved the finished document.
The completed agreement was not formally lodged with either the league or players’ association, a failure Hocking has already acknowledged.
The independent lawyer will likely need to distinguish between AFL officials being aware of general discussions and formally approving the final waiver.
Player Welfare Must Not Become Secondary
The legal and governance questions surrounding Geelong are significant.
A club attempting to shift responsibility for future brain trauma onto a player deserves serious scrutiny, particularly when concussion has become one of the greatest welfare challenges confronting contact sport.
However, Kolodjashnij should not become collateral damage in an institutional battle between Geelong and the AFL.
He underwent the independent panel process, received clearance and made a decision after consulting his family, management and medical advisers.
He did not create Geelong’s internal procedures or determine whether the completed document should be lodged.
The 2022 premiership defender has played 209 AFL games and returned for 11 senior appearances this season after missing all of 2025 because of groin, hip and back injuries.
His twin brother, former Gold Coast and Melbourne defender Kade Kolodjashnij, retired in 2020 because of concussion-related health problems.
That family history makes the public disclosure of Jake’s private medical information particularly sensitive.
Geelong Saga Has Now Hurt the Player It Claimed to Protect
Geelong says the agreement was intended to give Kolodjashnij agency and help him make an informed decision about his career.
Two years later, the document has become public, his medical history is being debated nationally and he has stepped away from football while an independent lawyer examines the club’s conduct.
Whatever sanction the AFL eventually imposes, that is already a damaging outcome.
The Cats and league must provide a transparent explanation of what occurred without revealing further confidential information about the player.
Geelong’s processes deserve scrutiny.
Kolodjashnij’s privacy deserves protection.
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