In particular, the club was alleged to have orchestrated efforts to isolate the players from family and partners, and in one case even to encourage a pregnancy termination, to achieve on-field results.
The pair reconciled, after which the club was alleged to have bullied the couple into moving to an approved suburb, which had the effect of isolating the player's partner from her family.
[1] A second player ("Zac") alleged a similar circumstance, in which the club advised him to break off his relationship with his seven-weeks-pregnant partner ("Kylie") and change his phone number, for the betterment of his social cohesion with teammates, and ultimately for his career.
He alleged that the club gave him only a few days' paternity leave, prevented his partner and child from visiting him in Victoria for most of his first season, and told him that he had failed a test by choosing his family over football.
[3] The AFL referred the report to its Integrity Unit, and announced its own independent investigation,[4] with the panel comprised Bernard Quinn, KC (chair), Jacqualyn Turfrey, Tim Goodwin and Julie Buxton.
Not all people interviewed for the original report agreed to take part, with "Amy" most notably declining over disagreements with the review's Terms of Reference.
[6] In February 2023, while the AFL's investigation was ongoing, Phil Egan – author of the original report – was arrested on unrelated historical fraud charges, stemming from alleged conduct at the Murray Valley Aboriginal Co-operative between 2010 and 2012.
[10] In June 2023, Cam Matthews confirmed that he was the fourth Hawthorn that was under investigation alongside Alastair Clarkson, Chris Fagan, and Jason Burt.