Melbourne have handed Steven May a one-week ban after an altercation between the 30-year-old and teammate Jake Melksham occurred on Sunday night.
The pair had been at a dinner with several teammates and had been drinking.
May, who missed Round 12 through concussion protocols, should not have been drinking under club guidelines.
The club released a statement through Melbourne GM of Football Performance Alan Richardson, expressing their disappointment with the pair.
โFollowing a dinner on Sunday evening, Jake and Steven informed us of a scuffle that took place after a lighthearted disagreement between the pair escalated," Richardson said.
โBoth Jake and Steven had been drinking at dinner and are incredibly remorseful that things played out the way they did.
โGiven Steven is still under the AFL concussion protocols from Round 11, he was aware that under club guidelines he should not have been drinking.
โThe leadership group has recommended to impose a one-match ban on Steven, a decision which has been endorsed by the clubโs broader leadership. This will make him unavailable for both AFL and VFL selection.
โSteven and Jake will also complete community service through one of the clubโs community partners to ensure they understand the responsibility and impact they have as role models within the community.
โOver the past three years, Steven has developed into one of our most important on-field leaders, and while the impact of not having him available for selection is significant, what is more significant to us is our culture and the commitment we have to live by our values.
โSteven is extremely remorseful and accepts his actions were completely out of step with the expectations the club and his teammates have of him. He accepts the sanction handed down and makes no excuse for his poor judgement.
โWe are proud of the culture we have built over the past few years and while we are disappointed with Stevenโs behaviour, we back in his character and will support him to ensure he is armed to make better decisions for himself and the football club moving forward.โ
