A potential return to the AFL for Tarryn Thomas is a “really hard question” with no definitive answer, according to Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge.
The league will later this season grapple with whether to allow the sacked North Melbourne footballer to return in 2025 as it continued its renewed push to address male violence against women by announcing a partnership with Our Watch on Thursday.
The leading national education body for the prevention of violence against women and children said it would roll out face-to-face workshops with AFL and AFLW players across all 18 clubs as part of the partnership.
It comes after the AFL announced players, coaches and umpires would come together in the middle of the ground before matches this week to “pay a silent tribute” to women who have lost their lives to violence.
Thomas 24, was suspended for 18 matches and sacked by North Melbourne in February after he was found to have committed several breaches of the player’s code of conduct including threatening a woman via direct messages multiple times.
Football fans criticised Essendon coach Brad Scott for his comments on Wednesday that Thomas deserved a chance at another club, on the same day the AFL announced its anti-violence initiative.
Beveridge, his Western Bulldogs counterpart, said he could not give an “emphatic” answer on whether Thomas should be permitted to return but hoped he was capable of change.
“You hope Tarryn has learned from his own experiences and could be better. I can’t give an emphatic answer on that. We always hope that people can change,” Beveridge said.
“I’d rather not given definitive answer on Tarryn. I just hope he’s going to be OK and he has learned.”
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon said it was “dangerous” to advocate for a decision one way or the other on Thomas’ return without knowing “the full facts” of his indiscretions.
Thomas escaped conviction and was granted a diversion last year after a court found he had threatened to distribute intimate content of his ex-girlfriend in 2022.
Fresh allegations of threatening behaviour towards women brought to the AFL’s Integrity Unit triggered the investigation which resulted in his suspension and sacking.
He has not recorded a conviction for a criminal offence in relation to the recent investigation.
“It’s a really difficult one … it’s in the Indigenous space and we are losing Indigenous players out of the game,” Lyon said on Thursday.
“Life sentences don’t even get imposed at a custodial level, so it’s interesting we are talking about life for a young player that hopefully can be educated and trained to grab hold of his opportunity in life.
“To put the two together when I am not aware of facts would be mischievous at least and dangerous for me and everyone talking about it.”
Our Watch chief executive Patty Kinnersly, who is also a Carlton board member, told this masthead the organisation couldn’t comment on “any individual case”.
“What we do need though, is sporting codes to take the lead, and where players have broken the law, obviously they need to go through that process,” Kinnersly said.
“I think if an individual can demonstrate significant effort to understand their behaviour and to make genuine change, then there could be an opportunity for further chances, but I think it’s a case-by-case issue.”
Kinnersly, who endorsed the AFL’s silent tributes this weekend as sending “a strong message”, called on players to be vocal in public but also be willing to call out sexist comments from friends to stamp out the attitudes which lead to violence against women.
She praised Melbourne forward Ben Brown, who released his own statement urging men to “add our voices” to calls for change via his personal Instagram page on Thursday.
“We need people right across the community and particularly men speaking out and taking the leadership role to challenge sexist behaviour … AFL and AFLW players have a big platform and they are role models, particularly for other young men, so when the opportunity is there and when they are comfortable doing so, it’s really important they do.”
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