{"id":846220,"date":"2026-08-07T01:18:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T01:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/846220\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T01:18:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T01:18:11","slug":"afl-2026-hawthorn-coach-sam-mitchell-responds-over-secret-geelong-concussion-deal-calsher-dear-suitors-latest-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/846220\/","title":{"rendered":"AFL 2026: Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell responds over secret Geelong concussion deal, Calsher Dear suitors, latest news"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fremantle\u2019s Mason Cox has on Friday issued a strong statement opposing \u201cback-door deals\u201d, in light of the AFL\u2019s probe into Geelong\u2019s secret concussion agreement with a player<\/a>. <\/p>\n

It comes as Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell also addressed the contentious arrangement, reaffirming the \u201cutmost respect\u201d he treats concussion awareness. <\/p>\n

Watch every match of every round of the AFL Premiership Season LIVE and ad-break free during play on FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Cats haven\u2019t been sanctioned after news broke on Thursday that they struck a deal two years ago with a current player to waive \u201csome legal rights\u201d for future brain injuries sustained on the field. <\/p>\n

The backlash to the revelation has been widespread across the footy landscape, with \u201cwhite hot anger\u201d reportedly being felt from rival clubs<\/a> after AFL confirmation Geelong wouldn\u2019t be penalised. <\/p>\n

And on Friday, featuring on Nova 100\u2019s Jase, Lauren & Clint, Cox didn\u2019t mince his words when the topic was broached. <\/p>\n

Prompted on the idea that the circumstances around the agreement were \u2018a bit murky\u2019, Cox strongly hit out at \u201cback-door deals\u201d without the knowledge of the players\u2019 union. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very poor behaviour, to be honest with you,\u201d Cox said on radio. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs a player, health and safety \u2014 at any job of any kind of employer \u2014 you would expect to be at the highest. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd to be trying to do back-door deals without the AFLPA being involved is pretty poor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ex-Magpie was also vehement in his belief that any player entering into any agreement should be properly walked through any ramifications. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey need to have the support systems around them whenever they do sign any paperwork, really. <\/p>\n

\u201cYour agent should be involved, the Players\u2019 Association, someone else that has legal representation should be able to be involved. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey shouldn\u2019t be asking someone who doesn\u2019t understand what that is, and not being able to walk them through the process. I think that\u2019s the thing that\u2019s quite frustrating. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe kids come in at 18. They\u2019ve only known that football club; they don\u2019t know anything else, they haven\u2019t had experience anywhere else, and it just seems as though it\u2019s really poor behaviour.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked if there should be a proper explanation as to what occurred, Cox said: \u201cOh, yeah. As a player, I\u2019d love to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/p>\n

\u2018IF THERE\u2019S NOTHING TO HIDE\u2019: \u2018Rivals\u2019 \u2018white hot anger\u2019 over Cats clause call<\/a><\/p>\n

ROO BEAUTY! North ends horror hoodoo, keeps season alive in major Bulldogs blow<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018FURTHER THAN INTENDED\u2019: AFL\u2019s penalty call as \u2018secret\u2019 Cats deal scrapped<\/a><\/p>\n

CRYSTAL BALL: Expert verdict, predicted ladder range for every AFLW side<\/a><\/p>\n

Earlier on Friday morning, Mitchell was probed for his thoughts on the circumstances surrounding the Cats. <\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say I\u2019m all over it and an absolute expert at this stage, (but) the thing that I would say is as an organisation, we (the AFL) have changed our philosophy on concussion so heavily,\u201d Mitchell told SEN\u2019s Fireball. <\/p>\n

\u201cBack in our days of playing, it was not treated with the respect that it is now. It\u2019s the type of thing now where you completely stay out of it as a coach. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you have an enormous amount of respect for \u2026 the medical team have got an enormously difficult role in what they do. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure on the details of what has actually happened with this one, and other people with more information will speak on it, but we treat it with the utmost respect. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I will never push (on a player) \u2018hey, do you think you\u2019ll be ready for this week\u2019, the way you might with other types of injuries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drummond speaks on Geelong agreement | 04:06<\/p>\n

Mitchell was also asked whether Geelong gets a \u2018favourable run\u2019 in terms of pushing the boundaries more than other clubs without serious repercussions. <\/p>\n

That suggestion comes after the Cats were most recently fined $77,500 last October after an AFL audit uncovered undisclosed third-party payments. <\/p>\n

\u201cJust because something is out there, doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s true, necessarily,\u201d Mitchell responded. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe AFL audited their third-party agreements and all that sort of thing, so I think that one was sort of dealt with. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut my understanding is that they\u2019re a good organisation that have been at the top for a long time in a frustrating way. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure what they do behind the scenes, but I probably won\u2019t get into the answer you want me to give.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitchell\u2019s response comes after Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge admitted post-game on Thursday night<\/a> that he, as a player, would have also signed a waiver to prolong his playing career. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think every player wants to keep playing until their boots fall off, so it\u2019s an interesting discussion around liability and risk,\u201d he told reporters at Marvel Stadium. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know enough about it. All I know is that when I was playing, we all had concussions. If I had to sign a waiver to keep playing, I would\u2019ve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beveridge reacts to costly loss | 12:19<\/p>\n

It came as the newly-re-signed Hawks mentor also shed new light on Calsher Dear\u2019s development amid rival trade interest. <\/p>\n

Mitchell on Friday was also questioned on the future of emerging key forward Dear, who remains out of contract and out of the senior side. <\/p>\n

Last weekend, first-year forward Aidan Schubert came into the lineup as the preferred replacement for Mitch Lewis. <\/p>\n

The 21-year-old Dear, who has played just five AFL games this year due to a crowded Hawthorn forward line, has an offer from the Hawks on the table amid interest from Melbourne, Geelong, Carlton, Collingwood and St Kilda. <\/p>\n

\u201cI saw him in a Melbourne jumper; that made me feel uncomfortable during the week, I must admit,\u201d Mitchell said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe get along; we\u2019ve had good chats all through this process. Understandably, contract-wise it\u2019s taken a bit longer because he obviously wanted to get into the side and show what he could do. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that hasn\u2019t come to fruition just yet, but there\u2019s contracts there and talks there, so still very hopeful. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut this is a tricky time of the year for everyone, so understand that \u2026 who knows what will happen? <\/p>\n

\u201cBut we\u2019ve had very open communication about all these things. Box Hill have a bye this week, unfortunately, but his form in the past month has been exactly what we\u2019re after, so expect to see him.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fremantle\u2019s Mason Cox has on Friday issued a strong statement opposing \u201cback-door deals\u201d, in light of the AFL\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":846221,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-846220","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\/846220","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=846220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846220\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/846221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=846220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=846220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=846220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}