North Melbourne today received notice from the AFL that coach Alastair Clarkson has been found to have engaged in 'conduct unbecoming' during his altercation with St Kilda players last weekend.
As a result of the finding, Clarkson has a received a two-week suspension (wholly suspended for two years), a $20,000 fine and he will be required to attend appropriate Pride in Sport training as approved by the AFL.
Clarkson again apologised for the incident and said he accepted the League’s finding.
"At the outset, I want to reiterate my initial public apology and acknowledge that my exchange with the St Kilda players was unnecessary and the language I used was inappropriate," Clarkson said.
"I am disappointed that I allowed the emotion of the moment to envelope me and I should not have engaged with the St Kilda players.
"I have since apologised to St Kilda coach Ross Lyon, Jimmy Webster and Dougal Howard for the manner in which I reacted.
"This has been a significant reflective moment for me. My language was not used with any intent to vilify or marginalise, however through this incident I have begun to understand the impact of the use of casual language. I am fully committed to educating myself in this regard.
"In terms of my reaction to the incident involving Jy (Simpkin), I have been doing some work to understand why I respond in the manner I do, but also to develop strategies I can implement in these moments."
North Melbourne CEO Jennifer Watt said the club accepted the AFL’s determination and that Clarkson was remorseful for his actions.
"As Alastair has identified himself, his behaviour and the language he used was unacceptable and he has taken responsibility for that," Watt said.
"He has now received a significant sanction from the AFL as a result of his conduct.
"We also acknowledge that Alastair has reflected on how he responds to incidents like we saw on Sunday, and we’ll support him as he seeks to be better in those situations."
