AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon has defended the league’s decision to stand down Geelong player Tanner Bruhn during the 2025 season after he was charged with sexual assault, a charge later dropped. The AFL Players’ Association (AFLPA) described the move as “premature and disproportionate.”
Dillon stated on Wednesday that the AFL’s ability to stand down players is applied on a “case-by-case basis” and that a blanket no-fault stand-down policy is not needed. “We start with AFL and AFLW players are absolute role models, and I don’t think we need to have a set stand-down rule,” he said.
The AFL boss noted that a suppression order had prevented public disclosure of details during the legal proceedings. “With the suppression order in place, it was something that we couldn’t convey publicly,” Dillon said, adding that the league worked closely with the AFLPA, Bruhn’s management, and Geelong.
Geelong released a statement on Tuesday after the suppression order was lifted, confirming that the club had provided welfare support to Bruhn and that he will return to training for the pre-season. “Tanner will return to the football program for the start of pre-season training,” the statement read.
