Collingwood ruck Mason Cox has issued an apology after the club confirmed they received a notice from the AFL.
During the pre-game period before the club's match with the GWS Giants, Cox bumped into the Giants' ruck coach, Shane Mumford.
Collingwood has now confirmed that the AFL requested further information about the incident, which included speaking to both clubs about the situation as part of a league investigation.
Over the coming days, the AFL will continue to work through the situation and will provide an update once the investigation is completed.
โI apologise for the incident in our pre-game where I made contact with a GWS official," Cox said.
โIn the moment, I was solely focussed on getting one more bounce in โ in hindsight, I should have stopped my run-up rather than completing the drill.โ
As per multiple reports, Mason Cox has stated that he will provide his side of the story on his podcast at a later date.
Mason Cox has been issued a 'please explain' for making contact with an opposition coach before #AFLGiantsPies.
Full details: https://t.co/TsMPW6cwQh pic.twitter.com/r61zPQ7EUr
— AFL (@AFL) March 10, 2024
In Collingwood's response to the AFL, the club has stated that "the umpire bounced the ball with Mason's run-up coinciding with GWS".
This happened after the ruckman requested the AFL umpire to bounce the ball to finalise his preparation for the game.
โWe have reviewed the situation and it is clear it was a period of transition in the centre circle โ our rucks were completing their centre bounce practice as the GWS midfield arrived to commence their centre-circle work," Collingwood's GM Football Brendon Bolton added.
โMason has acknowledged that making contact with opposition officials or players pre-game should be avoided and with our Club's support, will be more aware in future.โ
