AFL fines Carlton $75,000 over Hollands incident

The Australian Football League has fined Carlton $75,000 for breaching rules related to its handling of midfielder Elijah Hollands during a Round 6 match against Collingwood on April 16, finding that the club brought the game into disrepute.

Hollands, 24, experienced a mental health episode on the field, acting erratically and recording just one disposal despite playing 60 percent of the game time. He was hospitalized in the days following and has not played since. An AFL review, prompted by Carlton's internal investigation and further league inquiries, concluded that visual cues, in-game performance data, and knowledge of Hollands' circumstances should have prompted his earlier removal from play.

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon announced the penalty at a Tuesday press conference, stating, "We found that there were sufficient visual cues, performance data during the match, and an understanding of Elijah's individual circumstances to indicate that he should have been removed from play earlier than he was. We also determined that the delay in removing Elijah from the field resulted in an outcome that brought the game into disrepute." The findings targeted the club collectively,...