RICHMOND and Shai Bolton will make a $20,000 charity donation after a joint investigation between the AFL and the Tigers found the midfielder had "exacerbated" a nightclub fight.

Bolton required surgery after he fractured his wrist in the incident earlier this month - which the Tigers said started when teammate Daniel Rioli's girlfriend was "subjected to inappropriate behaviour" from a fellow nightclub patron.

The AFL said Rioli - who was left with a black eye but didn't miss any games - had "been cleared of any misconduct" but the investigation found Bolton "had exacerbated the situation" when he stepped in to defend his teammate.

Bolton and Richmond will donate $20,000 to Tomorrow Man, an organisation that works with boys and men to develop healthy masculinity, while the midfielder apologised for getting involved in the altercation.

The AFL said Bolton had acknowledged he should have "chosen to de-escalate the situation rather than become involved."

"The investigation concluded that Shai's actions on the night had the potential to cause a much worse situation for all involved," AFL general counsel Andrew Dillon said.

"Shai understands the choice he made was the wrong one, he has acknowledged his mistake and is now accountable for his actions."

Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale said the Tigers encouraged their players to "de-escalate these situations and to walk away" and they needed to learn from Bolton's mistake.

"Getting involved in any altercation is not OK and that is a message we will reiterate to our players," Gale said.