St Kilda coach Ross Lyon became visibly emotional on Wednesday when asked about former Melbourne and Fremantle player Harley Balic, who died in 2022.
Balic died days after his 25th birthday following a prolonged battle with drug addiction.
His death was not treated as suspicious by police.
Balic’s death has reportedly formed part of Sport Integrity Australia’s investigation into the AFL‘s illicit drug policy which included allegations made by Federal MP Andrew Wilkie.
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The AFL was engulfed in scandal in March after Wilkie accused the league of covering up illicit drug use by players while addressing parliament.
He also alleged that players who returned a positive result were ruled out of the club’s subsequent match with a fictitious injury so as not to draw attention.
The off-the-books testing outside of the AFL’s illicit drugs policy is based on what the AFL penned a medical model, where if a player receives one strike for positive illicit drug use, they have the option of joining a medical group.
Once a player is in this group it is almost impossible for them to face penalties for illicit substance use unless they are caught with illicit drugs in their system on game day.
On Wednesday, the Herald Sun reported that Balic’s death was referenced in a statement made by former Melbourne doctor Zeeshan Arain, which Wilkie shared with SIA last month.
“It gets to the point where they (AFL clubs) are like: ‘well, if we can’t help this player, we will move them on’,” Arain reportedly said in his interview with Wilkie.
“The problem is that the player doesn’t cease to exist to be a person once they are not in your club, the duty of care still goes on.
“Take Harley Balic, for example. A few years after Harley Balic left the Melbourne Football Club he was dead related to drug use.”
In response, Balic’s father Eddie has claimed his son’s death could have been prevented if the AFL’s illicit drug policy had “better supports” for him to utilise.
“I also feel that had better support been put in place early for my son, it may have prevented this tragic outcome,” he told the Herald Sun.
“The huge disappointment is that the AFL knew a lot and as a family we weren’t told. We may have saved him earlier.”
The promising forward was drafted by Fremantle with pick No.38 in the 2015 national draft.
He debuted for the Dockers in 2017, playing only four senior games before he was traded to Melbourne at the end of the season.
At the helm of Fremantle for the two years Belic was at the club, Lyon stated he was “very close to Harley.”
“I had a personal relationship [and] spent a lot of time one-on-one with Harley,” he told media.
“I understand it deeply. It’s not for me to dive into it.”
Lyon did not wish to expand on the impact and functionality of the league’s illicit drug policy but did acknowledge that the medical model exists to support and care for players.
“I think if the AFL illicit drugs policy is really about that medical model, my experience and what Harley shared with me, he clearly sat in [the camp] where he needed support and medical attention,” he said.
“Because I’ve got no visibility on what really occurs behind the scenes, you just make the judgement that that occurred.
“Look, to lose a son or a daughter is very emotional. Even talking about him [is very emotional]. I think I’ll leave it there, he was a very special young man.”
Balic did not play a single game for the Demons before announcing his retirement from AFL football in 2018, aged 21.
At the time, he told the Demons he had lost passion for the game and was content calling time on his career.
Throughout his career and following his retirement, Balic spoke publicly about his mental health including struggles with anxiety and depression.
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