COLLINGWOOD has suspended Jordan De Goey for three matches and fined him $5000 after the midfielder lied to the club about how he broke his hand.
De Goey is expected to miss up to a month of football with the injury and the suspension will begin only after he has recovered.
The youngster initially told the club he broke the hand playing with his dog, when he actually broke it in an incident at a St Kilda bar.
Magpies football manager Geoff Walsh said De Goey faced an uphill battle to earn back the respect of his teammates and others at the club.
"It could be a long-time," Walsh told reporters on Tuesday.
"That's one thing he has total control over, he will be able to do whatever he feels he can to win that faith and trust back.
"That could be two months, it could be two years. In some people's eyes, in our organisation … some people are tough markers and they might say, 'You've lost me'.
"We hope that's not the case, but how long's a piece of string?"
De Goey chose to fabricate a story to explain the injury when he first reported it to the club.
Coach Nathan Buckley had initially accepted De Goey's story and told the media on Monday the injury had occurred when De Goey hit his hand on a door while throwing a toy for his dog.
Buckley said if he didn't laugh he would cry at the prospect of losing another midfielder on the eve of the season to an accident involving a dog, after Jeremy Howe claimed he injured his finger ahead of last season when throwing a frisbee with his dog.
Walsh said Buckley was obviously upset by the midfielder's actions.
"I don't know about insulted or betrayed, but he's certainly deeply, deeply affected," Walsh said.
"We're deeply embarrassed, we're really sorry that Jordan would feel that he would have to concoct a story."
"He took a terribly wrong course of action, he wishes he could take that back, and he also knows he's got to suffer the consequences," Walsh said.
De Goey, who will be available for VFL selection once his hand has fully healed, will also complete 10 weeks of community service as part of his penalties.
The midfielder apologised to Pies members and supporters in a video released on the club's website.
"Understandably I've definitely lost some of the trust of the playing group, the coaching staff and everyone who works at the club," De Goey said, with his right hand in a big bandage.
"The next few months are going to be really important for me and I'll try to put my best foot forward and I'm doing everything I can to regain that trust of the playing group.
"Finally I'd just like to apologise to the supporters. The decision I made is going to affect me playing for the next few weeks and not being able to support the team.
"I can't wait to get back out there."
