[3] The standing down of Mitch Cleary was a controversy was a dispute centred around AFL Media's decision to stand down journalist Mitch Cleary for posting a tweet revealing Brooke Cotchin, the wife of Richmond Tigers player Trent Cotchin, had breached the Australian Football League‘s (AFL) social distancing rules in the interstate "hubs" that all Victorian and New South Wales AFL teams were in following a resurgence of COVID-19 in Victoria and New South Wales.
[4] The move was widely condemned as a “betrayal of journalism”, and it led to widespread public backlash, with many figures urging AFL Media to reinstate him to his position.
[7] Due to the backlash, AFL Media eventually walked back on their decision, reinstating Mitch Cleary to his previous position.
[10][11][12] The controversy resulted in a significant worsening of approval towards AFL Media, with several figures, including president of the Collingwood Football Club Eddie McGuire and radio broadcaster Gerard Whateley, stating that it had undermined the image of AFL Media as being independent from the Australian Football League.
[13][6] Journalist Rohan Connolly deemed the event a "disaster", and he stated that it was the product of a gradual decline in the quality of AFL Media's reporting.