[ad_1]
North Melbourne has sacked troubled midfielder Tarryn Thomas.
It comes after the AFL found Thomas guilty of inappropriate behaviour towards a female.
The 23-year-old was initially suspended by the league for 18 matches. Now he’s been axed by the Kangaroos after the AFL delivered its findings.
READ MORE: Reynolds accepts pay cut in new Broncos deal
READ MORE: Giant who stunned Hewitt retires 21 years later
READ MORE: Origin captains, Dally M gun snubbed for top 10 honour
North Melbourne president Dr. Sonja Hood has slammed Thomas’ behaviour in a letter sent to club members.
“Tarryn came back to the club midway through last year pledging to be better,” Dr. Hood told members on Thursday.
“We are all bitterly disappointed that he has relapsed. And he is now out of chances.”
Dr. Hood outlined the work that her club has put in to rehabilitating the 23-year-old, but has now urged him to find his support network elsewhere.
“Last year he was afforded the privilege of doing his intensive education and rehabilitation programs within the structure of our footy club,” she said.
“From here he’ll have to find that structure elsewhere. We’ll continue working with the AFL, the Players Association and Tarryn’s manager and his support network to ensure that he gets the help he needs to be better.”
Dr. Hood remained strong that Thomas would not be returning to the club, as disappointed members and club personnel deal with the recent findings.
“He won’t play for the North Melbourne Football Club again,” Dr. Hood said.
Additionally, Kangaroos GM of football Todd Viney said the youngster had run out of chances to redeem himself.
Every first round pick from 2023 AFL draft: Joel Selwood gives No.14 jumper to Cats draftee in ‘special’ moment’
“Tarryn’s ongoing behaviour was not compatible with the club’s or the team’s values,” Viney said in a club statement on Thursday.
“We’ve channelled many hours into helping Tarryn and seeking to rehabilitate him – for his sake and for the sake of those his behaviour has impacted.”
The AFL confirmed that Thomas would not be eligible to play any football during the 2024 season, despite originally only sanctioning him with an 18-game suspension.
AFL general counsel Stephen Meade spoke on behalf of the league, confirming that Thomas’ actions go against what the AFL and broader community stands for.
“Tarryn’s conduct does not represent behaviours acceptable to anyone in our game or our community and his actions were not of a standard that the game or the public expect,” Meade said in an AFL statement on Thursday.
“While we understand and are empathetic to the challenges Tarryn was facing in his personal life, there is no excuse for the behaviour or the hurt he caused a young woman, this is never okay.
“The fact that Tarryn chose to engage in behaviour over direct messages that was, and is, clearly inappropriate, even while he was undertaking education and being counselled for previous breaches contributed to the length of suspension imposed.”
Thomas spent much of the 2023 season bouncing from controversy to controversy.
He was stood down in February of last year when allegations first emerged, and then again at the end of March.
The midfielder returned to training with the VFL program in mid-April under directive from club specialists, before fresh allegations were released in January of this year.
Thomas played 69 games for North Melbourne since his debut in 2019.
[ad_2]
