![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n
The champion midfielder was stretchered off the ground but, remarkably, returned to the field at the start of the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n
The horrific scenes prompted change, with the AFL introducing a rule in 2011 banning players from returning after being concussed in the same match.<\/p>\n
Yet a special CODE Sports report<\/a> from Herald Sun chief football writer and First Crack host Jay Clark last week revealed a Concussion in Sport Group \u2014 made up of the world\u2019s leading head trauma experts \u2014 had recommended in 2001: \u201cWhen a player shows ANY symptoms or signs of concussion: the player should not be allowed to return to play in the current game or practice.\u201d That \u2018consensus statement\u2019 came nine years before Lewis\u2019 incident.<\/p>\n Jarrod Harbrow of the Bulldogs clashes with Jordan Lewis of the Hawks in 2010. Picture: Ryan Pierse\/Getty ImagesSource: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n Clark reported the AFL\u2019s handling of concussion between 2001 and 2011 would be the centrepiece of an upcoming $1 billion class action regarding head trauma in football.<\/p>\n Speaking on Fox Footy\u2019s On The Couch on Monday night, triple premiership Tiger Jack Riewoldt said the \u201ctimeline there has piqued the interest of the playing group through the 2000s of the ones who have suffered concussions\u201d, adding: \u201cThere\u2019s a 10-year window that leaves players like us in the abyss.\u201d<\/p>\n Lewis said he \u201cwould like to know why they (the AFL) didn\u2019t act\u201d on information around the risks of overlooking concussion.<\/p>\n \u201cI think for a lot of players reading that article, it was news to me,\u201d Lewis told On The Couch.<\/p>\n \u201cOut of respect, Jay called me during the week to let me know that article \u2026 is coming.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter reading that article, I think the disappointing thing for me was to understand that there was information out there that had been backed by the top head trauma guys in the world \u2013 and the AFL had been provided that information \u2013 yet still didn\u2019t act. And it was 10 years later that that happened.<\/p>\n \u201cThe AFL set the guidelines for players to enter the competition. I take responsibility for the concussion, but I think what happened after that could have been certainly held, or done better, by the AFL, understanding the information that they had been given.<\/p>\n Freo charge to top of Premiership Window | 02:30<\/p>\n \u201cThat (action that led to the concussion) is going to happen, that\u2019s part of the game \u2026 and that\u2019s at all levels, every single level understanding that it is a sport that involves contact.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2019m just disappointed that the AFL had information and didn\u2019t act on it from the experts that are in this field. I think a lot of players would feel the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n Lewis\u2019 comments came on the same day Crows AFLW superstar Chelsea Randall announced her retirement<\/a> because of ongoing concussion-related issues. Meanwhile, Eagles defender Harry Edwards was ruled out for the remainder of the 2026 season<\/a> after the AFL Concussion Panel recommended a specialist rehabilitation program.<\/p>\n CODE Sports writer Jon Ralph also reported on Fox Footy\u2019s On The Couch on Monday night that three more former players \u2013 Ty Zantuck, Chad Rintoul and Nigel Kellett \u2013 had received severe injury payouts in the last few weeks, with Rintoul and Kellett\u2019s cases being concussion-related.<\/p>\n An AFL statement was included as part of the CODE Sports report.<\/p>\n \u201cThe AFL continues to undertake significant work to make the game safer,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n Gerard TEES OFF on ARC system | 05:34<\/p>\n \u201cConsiderable resources have been placed around better understanding the link of repeated head trauma and neurodegenerative disease.<\/p>\n \u201cHead trauma is a consideration for all contact sports around the world and as a professional sporting body who govern a contact sport, the AFL has clear governance, policy and guidelines around how our game is played.<\/p>\n \u201cThe AFL has made more than 30 changes to on-field rules and Match Review and Tribunal guidelines over the past two decades to further protect the safety of players in the game and as a league we continue to be guided by medical experts on this.\u201d<\/p>\n Riewoldt, who suffered multiple concussions during his playing career, said there was \u201cplenty of grey area\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s grey area in the timeline of when the AFL and whatnot have done this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s obviously a grey area in SCAT testing post that.<\/p>\n Hawthorn’s Jordan Lewis is taken off the field after a heavy collision. Picture: AAP Image\/David CroslingSource: AAP<\/p>\n \u201cBut there will be grey area in players like us and players that have suffered far worse than us for the rest of their lives around decision-making and head trauma \u2013 and the fact that multiple concussions show that there is a high chance of having CTE. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s certainly a worrying thing that we\u2019ve got to this and information has been withheld from a playing group.\u201d<\/p>\n Seven-time All-Australian Nathan Buckley said the AFL \u201cwould hate seeing that vision\u201d of Lewis\u2019 concussion.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really hard when we sort of look at it to judge something that happened in 2001 on 2026 standards,\u201d Buckley told On The Couch.<\/p>\n \u201cBy any standard now, the AFL are doing everything in their power to remove contact from the game, to hold players accountable to duty and care and to look after the welfare of players in terms of head knocks and concussion and potential detrimental effects long-term.<\/p>\n \u201cBut there is a grey area there. There\u2019s a period there, that article is suggesting, that the AFL didn\u2019t act quick enough.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you think about 25 years ago that actually happened, it is mind-blowing to think that was only that short time ago that was OK.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Four-time premiership Hawk Jordan Lewis has been left stunned by revelations the AFL allegedly didn\u2019t act on a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":768882,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-768881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=768881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/768882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=768881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=768881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=768881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}