Saint Kilda coach Ross Lyon says he can only assume former player Harley Balic was receiving medical treatment and support for illicit drug use while playing, after Balic’s father criticized the AFL’s illicit drug policy .
Balic died in 2022, at age 25, after battling drug addiction.
His case was reportedly referenced in a statement from former Melbourne Demons doctor Zeeshan Arain, which was submitted to Sports Integrity Australia by federal MP Andrew Wilkie last month.
This triggered an investigation by the SIA.
Balic played four games for Fremantle, when Lyon were coach, before moving to the Demons and retiring at the end of the 2017 season.
“He was very close to Harley. He had a personal relationship with him, he spent a lot of time one-on-one with Harley,” Lyon said.
“If the AFL’s illicit policy is really about that medical model, my experience of what Harley shared with me clearly sat in the place where he needed medical support and attention.
“Because I have no visibility into what happens behind the scenes, I just judge that that happened.”
According to the Herald Sun, Balic’s father Eddie said his son could have been saved if more people had been aware of his drug problems.
“I believe the AFL has a duty to formally intervene early with vulnerable young players who have been identified as having substance abuse problems,” he said.
“I also believe that if better support had been provided to my son from the beginning, this tragic outcome could have been avoided.”
Current Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir could not confirm whether SIA had contacted the club as part of its investigation, but said answers to Eddie Balic’s questions were in the hands of the AFL.
“I sympathize with Harley’s dad, I can only imagine what he’s going through,” Longmuir said.
“I think it starts with what they (the AFL) are trying to achieve with policy and from that the decisions about who best supports the players and who best helps them achieve what they are trying to achieve through about politic. .
“Whether the coaches or the support staff know that, I’m not sure.
“I know the policy is well-intentioned, maybe the execution needs to be improved, especially in this situation.
“Maybe the support of the players should be broader than that of the doctors.”
The AFL is currently reviewing its illicit drug policy.
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