Powell-Pepper paid price for ex-AFL executives' misdemeanours: Koch
Port Adelaide chairman David Koch has launched a sensational attack on the AFL for its handling of the Sam Powell-Pepper case.
After a lengthy investigation by the AFL’s integrity department, Powell-Pepper was handed a three-game suspension on Wednesday for engaging in inappropriate behaviour with a young woman at a nightclub.
The youngster has already missed two games, so he will be available for selection in round seven.
However, in an extraordinary statement released to Triple M, Koch slammed the manner in which the league dealt with the case and claimed that, in handing Powell-Pepper a lengthy suspension, they had overcompensated for the inappropriate relationships that sacked executives Simon Lethlean and Richard Simkiss had with junior female employees.
“The whole respect and responsibility policy leaves the clubs in the dark,” Koch said.
“They [AFL] take complete control, I issued them with a grievance notice before they would start talking sense.
“My biggest issue was they were trying to railroad a kid in trying to rebuild their reputation with women because of the misdemeanours of their own former executives.
“In Sam Powell-Pepper’s case a woman anonymously made claims, did not press charges with police - which we were happy for her to do - and we have vision of the entire night and the head of the integrity unit refused to see it.
“I’m putting it on the agenda at next presidents’ meeting.”
Powell-Pepper is free to play in the SANFL while serving the remainder of his AFL suspension.