THE AFL has ruled out introducing a no-fault stand down policy while defending its actions during Geelong midfielder Tanner Bruhn’s sexual assault case.
Charges against Bruhn and a co-accused were dropped at the Geelong Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
The AFL stood Bruhn down during the court case and the 23-year-old didn’t play at any level this season.
The AFL Players Association criticised the League’s decision to stand down Bruhn as “premature”, but AFL CEO Andrew Dillon defended the League while rejecting the need to adopt a no-fault stand down rule, similar to those adopted by the NRL and Football Australia.
“The AFL has an ability to stand down but it is on a case-by-case basis,” Dillon told reporters on Wednesday.
“We start with AFL and AFLW players are absolute role models. And I don’t think we need to have a set stand-down rule.
“I think it is something that you have to have in your armoury, but it is not something that we would use often.”
Dillon declined to detail if other players had been stood down in the past.
“The PA (players association) has their view,” he said.
“We worked closely with the AFLPA, Tanner’s management, and the Geelong footy club during last year.
“But with the suppression order in place, it was something that we couldn’t convey publicly.”
Tanner Bruhn at Geelong training on February 19, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
Suppression orders on publicly identifying Bruhn and his co-accused were lifted in court on Tuesday.
Dillon said a “sanctioning framework” for off-field demeanours would be discussed with the AFLPA.
“That is something that we are working on … we see that on the field, that tribunal guidelines are set in place and that works really well for our fans,” he said.
“We are working with the PA on a sanctioning framework to put guard rails around those but it is something we believe we would not be using a lot.
“All you can do with this is make the decisions based on the information you do have.
“The AFL does have a complex and complicated regulatory framework and we work really closely with the AFLPA on that.”
The AFLPA, in a statement on Tuesday, was critical of the League over its handling of Bruhn.
“Tanner was entitled to the presumption of innocence from the outset and throughout,” the AFLPA said in a statement.
“It was clear to us that standing Tanner down would be premature and disproportionate.”
Bruhn last played in the AFL in Geelong’s preliminary final loss to Brisbane in September 2024.
The charges that were dropped on Tuesday were in relation to an alleged incident in February 2023.
Both Bruhn and the co-accused, who were charged nine months ago, maintained their innocence throughout the legal process.
