Vic: Collingwood players fined $5,000 over weekend brawl

AAP General News (Australia)
08-02-2006
Vic: Collingwood players fined $5,000 over weekend brawl

By Xavier La Canna and Jamie Duncan

MELBOURNE, Aug 2 AAP - Two Collingwood AFL players involved in a weekend brawl outside
a Melbourne nightclub have each been fined $5,000 and could be sacked from the club.

The Collingwood Football Club today said players Chris Tarrant and Ben Johnson were
involved in an incident early on Sunday morning and were assisting a police investigation.

Officers are investigating the alleged assault of a 28-year-old Bayswater North man
outside a nightclub at Station Pier, Port Melbourne, about 3.30am (AEST) on Sunday.

Police said the 28-year-old was leaving a venue at Station Pier with four other men
when they saw a brawl in progress.

He saw a man kicking another man, who was on the ground, police said, but when he tried
to separate the pair, the 28-year-old was allegedly punched from behind and knocked unconscious.

The two footballers suffered cuts and bruises but it is not known what part they played
in the brawl.

Collingwood chief Greg Swann told reporters that Tarrant and Johnson would be fined
the maximum $5,000 under the AFL players' code of conduct.

"There is certainly a level of anger (in the club), different people have different
levels, but these two players will, as I said, be fined and the match committee will determine
whether they play or not this week," Mr Swann said.

"There are two sides to the story so the police being the arbiter will determine what
actually has occurred.

"We have spoken to our major sponsors this morning about what's happened. It is fair
to say it is embarrassing. We don't like to do it."

Asked if the pair could be sacked for their involvement in the incident, Mr Swann said:
"We haven't ruled anything out.

"The investigation will take its course and then when that happens we will determine
what we do with the players.

"We don't expect all of our players to be monks. There is a group, I am sure there
is at every club who, you know, enjoy getting out and being a bit more social than others.

So we just have to make sure that that is done within the confines of probably common
sense," Mr Swann said.

He said club president Eddie McGuire had been informed of the incident and was also unhappy.

AAP xlc/mh/sp

KEYWORD: BRAWL CLUB LEAD (FILE PIX)

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