- Alastair Clarkson allegedly said the words ‘fucking shit’
- He has escaped punishment for the outburst
- Clarkson apologized and said he will get help.
Alastair Clarkson has avoided a potential two-match suspension from the AFL after the North Melbourne coach apologized for swearing in protest of a referee’s decision.
Clarkson will also not coach from the sidelines for the remainder of the season and added that he will continue to seek help to control his notorious temper.
According AgeClarkson allegedly said the words “fucking shit.”
A league investigation could not prove Clarkson’s borderline foul-mouthed outburst was directed at anyone in particular during Saturday’s 59-point loss to Port Adelaide in Hobart.
Had the AFL found Hawthorn’s four-time head coach guilty of misconduct, it could have led to a two-game suspended suspension for Clarkson.
Alastair Clarkson escaped punishment for X-rated outburst
Less than three months ago, Clarkson was found guilty of the same offense for an expletive-laden tirade against St Kilda players Jimmy Webster and Dougal Howard during a pre-season match.
But on Thursday night, the league announced that no action would be taken against him for this latest incident.
“The AFL was informed of the alleged comments by a matchday official after the match who heard the comments, and the investigations unit followed up on the report,” the league said in a statement.
“Clarkson has admitted to loudly swearing and using inappropriate language while standing near the referees’ and officials’ bench in response to a referee’s call during the third quarter.” After speaking to match officials, the AFL could not be comfortably satisfied that Clarkson’s profanity was directed at a specific person or persons and, in particular, one or more AFL match officials and, as such , no conclusion has been reached about a breach of AFL rules.
The 55-year-old used the homophobic slur ‘c********r’ during that exchange with Howard and Webster and received a $20,000 fine as well as a two-game suspension, which was stayed until the end. of the 2025 season.
Clarkson allegedly said the words “f***ing shit” to the referees during Saturday’s loss to Port.
In a club statement, Clarkson said: “I acknowledge that… in a moment of frustration I lost my temper and swore while training from the bench.”
“It was undisciplined on my part and I have expressed my apologies to the AFL.
“As a club we can do without these distractions and as such I have agreed that it is best for him to remain in the coaches’ box on match days for the remainder of this season.” In the meantime, I will continue to seek support on how I deal with these moments.’
Kangaroos chief executive Jennifer Watt said Clarkson and the club are “aligned” on what he will do following this latest incident.
“We fully support him as he works to improve his reactions,” Watt said.
Former Hawthorn coach Clarkson has a long history of confrontations and confrontations, including 12 misdemeanors since 2006.
North Melbourne says goodbye this weekend.
