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North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson has avoided sanction following an incident in Tasmania on Saturday.
While there was no doubt the four-time premiership coached used the words \, the league could not verify who it was directed at.
On Thursday, the league’s Integrity Unit interviewed a security guard who witnessed the incident and the AFL match manager, who is a former colleague of Laura Kane’s at North Melbourne.
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And while the security guard believed Clarkson’s words were directed towards the bench, the claims could not be substantiated by the AFL.
Alastair Clarkson has avoided punishment. Getty
“The AFL this week made inquiries into an incident involving North Melbourne senior coach Alastair Clarkson during Saturday afternoon’s match,” and AFL statement said.
“The AFL was made aware of the alleged comments by a match day official post-game who heard the comments, with the AFLIU following up the report.
“Clarkson has admitted to loudly swearing and using inappropriate language while standing near the umpires and officials’ bench in response to an umpiring decision during the third quarter.
“After talking to match officials, the AFL was not able to be comfortably satisfied that Clarkson’s swearing was directed towards a specific person or persons and in particular an AFL match official or officials and as such no finding of a breach of AFL Rules has been made.”
Clarkson is understood to be remorseful and the fact his words were audible to those around him.
Had he been found guilty, he would have been suspended for at least two games given he had a suspended sentence hanging over his head from a prior indiscretion.
Clarkson verbally attacked a number of St Kilda players in the aftermath of Jimmy Webster levelling Kangaroos captain Jye Simpkin during a practice game in February.
He was slapped with a two-match wholly suspended sanction alongside a $20,000 fine for his behaviour.
Now, with Clarkson avoiding a punishment, his suspended sentence remains in place.
The outcome follows calls from Matthew Lloyd and Eddie McGuire to \.
“At least two (weeks). I just hope that the investigation is done thoroughly and properly,” Lloyd said on Nine’s Footy Classified on Wednesday night.
“It’s not just a case of ‘oh, I was just saying this into the air, because I was frustrated with how the game was going’ and ‘that’s OK, we’ll let Alastair off again’.
Alastair Clarkson. AFL Photos via Getty Images
“I want this done properly, even if it takes two, three, four, five days, because they have the bye this week.”
McGuire echoed Lloyd’s call at the time.
“If he’s said those words at an official or an umpire, I think it’s five plus weeks,” McGuire said.
“I think they’ll throw the book at him.”
After Clarkson’s use of homophobic wording during the pre season, Caroline Wilson also revealed that the Roos coach is yet to undergo any formal rehabilitation, that has been prescribed to him by the league.
“Clarkson is yet to undergo any form of education in this space,” she said on Nine’s Footy Classified earlier in May.
Clarkson’s Kangaroos have a bye in round 12, as they sit with a 0-11 record.
