The AFL has dumped the umpire on the centre of the Brownlow Medal betting scandal and dominated out modifications to the voting course of for the distinguished award.
Former discipline umpire Michael Pell was one among 4 males arrested final month over suspicious betting exercise, having allegedly leaked votes on particular matches this yr.
The state of affairs led to widespread calls – rejected by AFL chief government Gillon McLachlan on Thursday – for voting rights to be taken away from umpires .
“The Brownlow voting will stay exactly the same,” McLachlan mentioned.
“All the suggestions I’ve heard, it’s not that they’re not worthy but they wouldn’t have dealt with this issue.
“In the end, the allegations go to the personal integrity of an individual.
“At some point, right through every system, someone has to make a decision when they have information that, if they’re compromised, can lead to issues like we’ve allegedly got here.”
The AFL knowledgeable umpires this week that Pell has been faraway from the umpiring panel, with a substitute to be appointed over the summer season.
“The umpire is not employed by the AFL anymore,” McLachlan mentioned.
“There is no employment relationship between the AFL and the umpire at the centre of the allegations.
“The broader consequences are now with the police because it’s a criminal matter.”
The umpires award Brownlow votes on a 3-2-1 foundation after every sport and there may be tight safety round these particulars till McLachlan reads them out on the evening of the presentation.
McLachlan, who intends to go away his CEO publish in April, is adamant the integrity of the league’s best-and-fairest award stays intact.
“There’s damage caused by that scandal and the umpires have been hurting but I don’t think the integrity of the Brownlow is compromised in any way,” McLachlan mentioned.
“There was not any manipulation of the votes … it was an issue of personal integrity, allegedly. We’ve got to see how that plays out.
“The allegations have wounded the umpires personally and I feel for them, but I don’t think it bleeds into the Brownlow (itself).”
The betting scandal has threatened to take the shine off Carlton captain Patrick Cripps’ triumph this yr, however the sensible midfielder stays unfazed.
“It had nothing really to do with me. It was more of a personal sort of integrity issue,” Cripps mentioned.
“I know there was a fair bit of noise around it but I really don’t read into it at all.”
