Moral guardians

Reports that the AFL will impose a significant ban on Brendan Fevola "if he is found to have sexually assaulted a woman on Brownlow Medal night" raise some interesting questions.

What standard of proof will be required? Will it be enough for the journalist in question to simply make a statement, or will a police complaint be required? And who will judge whether the offence was committed?

These are very murky waters the AFL is peering into. Where will their moral stance end? Will a driving offence bring an AFL sanction as well? What about bankruptcy or fraud? Will a conviction in a court of law be required?

It’s easy to understand that the AFL is attempting to protect its brand in signalling this action against Fevola. But they would do well to think through the implications before proceeding — their precedents in the laws of the game changes suggest they’ll shoot first and ask questions later!