NORTH Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson has avoided punishment after an AFL probe into his alleged use of profane language near the umpires' bench during Saturday's 59-point loss to Port Adelaide.
Clarkson admitted during the AFL Integrity Unit's investigation that he had sworn loudly and used inappropriate language in response to an umpiring decision during the third quarter while standing near the umpires' and officials' bench.
However after talking to match officials, the AFL was not satisfied Clarkson's outburst was directed towards a specific person or match official, and therefore found no breach of AFL rules.
The League was alerted to Clarkson's alleged comments by a match-day official following Saturday's game, with the Integrity Unit subsequently commencing an investigation.
In a statement released on Thursday evening, the Kangaroos said Clarkson would not coach from the bench for the rest of the year, and had apologised to the AFL.
"I acknowledge that during the third quarter of Saturday’s game in a moment of frustration I lost my temper and swore while I was coaching from the bench," Clarkson said.
"It was undisciplined by me and I have expressed my apologies to the AFL.
"As a club we can do without these distractions and as such I have agreed that it’s best if I remain in the coaches box on match days for the rest of this season.
"In the meantime I’ll continue to seek support on how I deal with these moments."
North Melbourne CEO Jennifer Watt said the club would support Clarkson's personal development in this area.
"Alastair has accepted that his language was inappropriate and we are aligned in the measures he will take in response to this incident," she said.
"We fully support him as he works to improve his reactions."
In February, Clarkson was fined $20,000 for an "inappropriate" outburst towards St Kilda players Jimmy Webster and Dougal Howard during a pre-season incident where Webster concussed Kangaroo Jy Simpkin.
He was also slapped with a two-game ban, suspended until the end of the 2025 season.
It means if Clarkson is found guilty of conduct unbecoming during this time, he would immediately be suspended from coaching for two matches, plus any additional sanctions for a further breach.
At the time, Clarkson apologised for the St Kilda incident saying he would work on his reactions in stressful situations.
"I am disappointed that I allowed the emotion of the moment to envelope me and I should not have engaged with the St Kilda players," he said.
"This has been a significant reflective moment for me. My language was not used with any intent to vilify or marginalise, however through this incident I have begun to understand the impact of the use of casual language. I am fully committed to educating myself in this regard.
"In terms of my reaction to the incident involving Jy (Simpkin), I have been doing some work to understand why I respond in the manner I do, but also to develop strategies I can implement in these moments."
