Respect driving policy on women

AFL clubs will be handed specific guidelines on involving police and the league on incidents against women under a respect and responsibility crackdown.

The league’s recent sex scandal is just the latest contentious issue that has seen the AFL and clubs grappling with how to best handle controversies involving women.

The AFL is unlikely to institute a hard and fast policy involving inter-office relationships, believing there is nothing wrong with relationships that don’t involve a power imbalance.

The league’s football boss Simon Lethlean and commercial boss Richard Simkiss were both sacked last month after having affairs with female AFL staff because they had abused their powerful positions.

The AFL will release its new policy to clubs to help them guide their reactions in the event of controversies.

The league’s club chief executives workshopped a series of case studies at this week’s AFL conference and were asked how they would or should respond.

For instance if a player sends nude photos to a female should the AFL be immediately told of the issue?

Or if a player is charged with assaulting a women are there grounds for immediate dismissal or is there a presumption of innocence until court proceedings?

The league is likely to define what should be referred to the AFL or to the police.