Geelong is reportedly facing a six-figure fine for breaching league rules with its now-infamous concussion clause on defender Jake Kolodjashnij’s contract.

It comes as the under-fire club calls an emergency board meeting for Monday, to discuss a situation in which CEO Steve Hocking says the club would change “not a lot” if they had their time over.

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But the situation could ensnare new AFL Commission chair Craig Drummond as well, as he was president of Geelong when the deal was ticked off.

Failing to lodge the contract clause with the AFL or AFLPA appears to be the main point of concern.

“It’s fair to say Geelong is a club in crisis off the field as it deals with the devastating fallout of that secret concussion waiver with Jake Kolodjashnij,” the Herald Sun’s Jay Clark, who broke the story, told Fox Footy on Saturday night.

“Geelong can expect a whopping six figure fine for breaching league rules for signing a player to a brain trauma contract in an attempt to strip him of his legal rights.

Cats in crisis with concussion bombshell | 01:28

“But this goes higher, to the top office of the AFL, because Commission Chairman Craig Drummond is under pressure to resign. He was president when the deal was struck at Geelong in 2024. Now that he leads the AFL, it’s fair to say after speaking with some of the most senior club figures around the league, faith and confidence in Drummond’s leadership has seriously plummeted.

“How can you sit in judgment of clubs, misdemeanours and health and safety policy when you have overseen, not only overseen a dodgy deal, but kept it secret from the AFL and the AFLPA at the time? It puts him in an untenable position to be honest.

“That’s for him and his Commission to decide, but if he remains in the job, his authority is seriously diminished.”

Jake Kolodjashnij of the Cats warms up before his 200th match during the 2026 AFL Round 06 match between the Geelong Cats and the Western Bulldogs at GMHBA Stadium on April 17, 2026 in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

The Cats are expected to respond to the AFL’s ‘please explain’ by midweek, reports the Herald Sun’s Jon Ralph, with an emergency board meeting called for Monday.

Cats CEO Steve Hocking defended the club’s handling of the situation when speaking on Geelong radio station K-Rock this weekend.

“Firstly Jake is going it tough. The thing to talk to is the fact he has had his private medical information released into the public which is a disgrace quite frankly and we are all feeling for him,” Hocking said.

“It’s not something he felt he would find himself incorporated in. It’s really disappointing.

“If there are missteps that get identified we will rectify these things. We have quite a new board and Grant McCabe is our new president and we have a number of new board members. We have a board session first thing Monday morning and that will be to talk through a number of things and processes and systems. We have taken a misstep and how do we tighten it up?”

Hocking explained the Cats felt the waiver was the only way Kolodjashnij could be allowed to sign a new contract at the end of 2024.

Asked what they would change, Hocking said: “Not a lot.

Cats CEO Steve Hocking addresses the media. Picture: Alan BarberSource: News Corp Australia

“As a leader it’s really important to take ownership and just lead through this. It’s not easy to do but I wouldn’t change too much. We are a really good football club.

“I know there are people out there who say culturally we are maybe not as strong as we have been but we do so much right and occasionally there might be one or two per cent we don’t get right and in this case that will be proven, I would suggest, that will be proven with the please explain. We don’t get everything right.

“I can understand (the conjecture over the expression misstep) but Jake has now played a couple more years of football and he’s rapt about that. So are his family.

“I was pretty clear that everyone was involved who needed to be involved. It was done over a two-month period and Jake was absolutely coming from a place of care. Did we get the final parts of that right? That is what is to be decided.”

Kolodjashnij’s future was likely to be up in the air regardless of the contract drama, with the 31-year-old backman battling indifferent form this season.