Following on from Collingwood's Jaidyn Stephenson receiving a 10-match ban for betting on Pies matches, we've delved back into the books and looked at 10 of the most famous suspensions in the league's history.
The majority of this list includes penalties from on-field incidents, but we've included events off the field too, such as Stephenson's.
Here are 10 of the AFL's most famous suspensions:
This one dates all the way back to the early 1900s in the VFL days and it would be remiss not to include it on the list.
The Blues duo were involved in a match fixing scandal after getting dropped from the side for their second semi final against South Melbourne. It was alleged that they accepted a bribe to "play dead" in the contest.
Both Carlton and the VFL launched an investigation into the matter, and while Lang admitted to receiving the offer, he said he did not accept it. They were still found guilty and banned for 99 games, a total of five years.
It stands as one of the more controversial suspensions in AFL history. After a round one game between Carlton and Essendon, Bombers player Sean Denham was getting into a heated argument with a number of Carlton players. Williams wasn’t pleased with what was going on, and while he was talking back at Denham gave a slight push to umpire Andrew Coates who was holding him back.
Despite the relatively innocuous push from Williams, he was suspended for a historic nine matches. Carlton then took the ban through the court system, and it was eventually dismissed. However, the AFL then appealed that decision and it was reinstated.
Due to the process, Williams' suspension was set to begin in round 17, however, he retired and never served the ban.
It was a grand final rematch and Baker and Steve Johnson had a bone to pick with each other.
It all began with Johnson throwing a wild elbow into the face of Baker after the latter was niggling the Cat. From there, Baker would strike the Norm Smith Medallist a number of times. One of the hits included a hit to the injured hand of Johnson.
After accepting guilty pleas to number of the charges, Baker would be suspended for nine games. At the time, a number of AFL analysts did not agree with the ban that was handed down.
Johnson would miss three games due to his role in what occurred.
Bourke was suspended by the AFL/VFL Tribunal for one of the biggest blow ups ever seen on a footy field while playing for the Collingwood Reserves.
It started with Bourke kicking the opposition ruckman in the groin, before shoving umpire Phil Waight and kicking him on the ground for trying to send him off after the incident. Bourke preceded to strike the Collingwood runner and attack a Swans fan in the crowd as he was coming off.
He received a 10-year ban plus 16 matches (240 matches total).
The ‘Line in the Sand’ match is one of the more memorable games in AFL history. After years of Essendon intimidating the Hawks and many other teams, Hawthorn made a stand. However, it boiled over into one of the biggest melee’s we’ve seen.
Vandenberg, a future captain of the Hawks, was the most involved of any player, hence the lengthy suspension. He was charged with striking Adam McPhee, making unnecessary and unreasonable contact with his leg to McPhee, and engaging in a melee.
There were a number of penalties handed out from that game, however Vandenberg’s was the most severe.
Despite never having been suspended, fined or even reprimanded in his career before this moment, Gaff’s major brain fade sees him ranked high on this list.
The All-Australian was a genuine Brownlow Medal threat in 2018, although one big hit on Fremantle’s Andrew Brayshaw saw both players’ seasons end.
Gaff was hit with an eight-game ban, while Brayshaw suffered a broken jaw, and saw three of his lower teeth displaced.
Brayshaw was unable to eat solid foods for a month after the incident. Ouch.
In 2004, Brisbane were going for an unbelievable fourth premiership in a row. Now that wouldn’t eventuate, but it didn’t stop Lynch from going down swinging, literally.
It was late in the first quarter when Lynch went at Darryl Wakelin and the two didn’t much around. They started wrestling and throwing punches almost immediately. At one point Jason Akermanis and Gavin Wanganeen looked as if they would join/intervene, however they both thought better of it.
It was a violent incident that Lynch would go on to regret. He never served his 10 game ban, due to retiring after that match.
Who could forget Hall’s vicious left-hand hook? It resulted in a seven-game ban for the brawny Swan, and the vision was shown around the world.
Hall has never really been able to shake the bad boy tag, and this hit is the first thing that springs to mind for many AFL fans. Like Lynch, he has gone on to state that the incident is one of his biggest regrets in football.
Staker took no further part in the game, and like Hall is also predominantly remembered for this hit.
One of the most famous and saddest stories in football. In 2007, arguably the game's best player at the time, Cousins, was sentenced 12 months away from senior football for "bringing the game into disrepute" and delisted by West Coast thereafter.
The 2005 Brownlow medallist had been involved in a number of off-field scandals in the two years leading up to his suspension, largely related to drug use, even sensationally undertaking rehab in Malibu, California.
It was later revealed that Cousins tragically battled drug addiction throughout his career in a documentary titled 'Such is Life'.
The Essendon supplement saga, still fresh, was one of the heftiest and most memorable suspensions handed out in the league's history.
In 2012, players were injected with a prohibited substance per the ASADA and WADA listings. After a four year investigation, 34 past and present Bombers players were whacked with two-year bans, backdated to March 2015, for being found guilty of using a banned peptide. The club's sports scientist at the time, Stephen Dank, received a life ban from the AFL and senior coach James Hird was suspended for 12 months.
In addition, the Bombers were fined $2 million, revoked of participation in the 2013 finals and 2012 Brownlow medallist Jobe Watson was stripped of the award. The Bombers looked to be on the brink of success, but were arguably set back years as a result of the harsh punishment.