Travis Tuck

Hawthorn was wrong to demand that it should have been informed of Travis Tuck’s battle with clinical depression by the AFL before his overdose last Friday.

Tuck, 22, was found unconscious by police outside a Berwick hotel, a result of an overdose on the drug Gamma Hydroxybutyrate, or GHB.

The son of Hawks legend Michael Tuck was handed the minimum punishment of a twelve game ban from AFL games and a $5000 fine, after the league took into consideration his long-running battle with clinical depression.

The revelation of Tuck’s psychological issues prompted  Hawthorn CEO Stuart Fox to denounce the AFL’s decision to not reveal the details of the players depression and drug problems to the clubs administration.

Speaking after the AFL’s decision, Fox said, “I believe we could have provided a comprehensive network of support for Travis.”

Currently, the policy states that players and the AFL are not required to inform a clubs’ administration of the first two positive drug tests, or anything regarding a players’ psychological treatment, although the clubs doctor is informed.

The Hawks, whose president Jeff Kennett is also the chairman of Beyondblue, are quite within their rights to feel frustrated that they only found out the extent of Tuck’s problems at such an advanced stage.

Furthermore, their is no doubt that their heart is in the right place, which they have demonstrated by standing by Tuck and retaining him on their list.

But, the AFL is quite justifed to not compel any player to reveal psychological issues they may have against their will. AFL players’ association chief executive Matt Finnis summed it up when he told the Herald Sun;

“The person who’s known at the club throughout that period was the club doctor, a qualified physician, and that club doctor has played a very important role in the referral and the management and treatment”, he said.

Why Tuck didn’t inform the club of his depression on his own volition is a mystery, but it is hard to see how forcing him to tell the club of his situation against his will would have been beneficial to his treatment.