COLLINGWOOD football boss Graham Wright believes Jack Ginnivan's drug use is an "isolated incident" and denies the club has a major issue with illicit substances.
Ginnivan was out with teammates and other friends in January when he was filmed by a member of the public in a hotel toilet cubicle with an illicit drug.
Wright would not confirm media reports the substance was ketamine but said he believes the Magpies are in a good place when it comes to drug use.
"Absolutely we feel like we are," Wright told reporters on Sunday.
"I think this is an isolated incident and that's the way we're treating it.
"It's not a pattern of behaviour at all for him or anyone else at the club."
Asked if drug use is a problem for the AFL as a whole, Wright said: "I hope that it wasn't a major issue but players are part of society and drugs are part of society."
"We certainly hope our players don't partake in illicit drugs, but I don't think it's a big issue in the competition and we certainly don't think it is here."
Video of Ginnivan with the illicit drug - taken at a Torquay hotel on a players' day off after a pre-season training camp on Victoria's Surf Coast - emerged when it was offered to a media outlet.
Wright said Collingwood then became aware of the incident on Thursday night and informed the AFL Integrity Unit, which interviewed Ginnivan and found the player guilty of conduct unbecoming.
Ginnivan has was hit with a strike under the League's Illicit Drugs Policy and has also been suspended for two matches.
It will cost the 20-year-old his match payments, while he also has a $5000 suspended fine hanging over his head.
He is not eligible to play in Collingwood's pre-season practice matches or at VFL level during his suspension.
Ginnivan confessed to his drug use when fronting Collingwood's leaders and the AFL, and later apologised for his "poor decision-making" through a club statement.
"As a club we're incredibly disappointed to be in this situation," Wright said.
"We provide education for all of our players and staff in relation to the right behaviours and every person is meant to maintain those.
"Jack has come forward and owned his behaviour and he's incredibly remorseful for that."
Ginnivan has often found himself in the spotlight since his debut in 2021 and won the Anzac Day Medal for a stunning five-goal performance against Essendon last year.
He booted 40 goals in a breakout second season in 2022, playing a key role in Collingwood's sharp rise to a preliminary final.
But the livewire forward has also come under fire for ducking his head to draw free kicks and admitted last year the fierce scrutiny on his approach to the game had taken a toll on his mental health.
"They're Jack's private issues around his mental health ... but in this case he said that had nothing to do with any of his actions in this regard," Wright said.
"He's owned it from that point of view but that's ongoing, dealing with our psychologist and our other medical people. But in this case it wasn't an issue."
POLARISING PIE Ginnivan doing it his own way
Ginnivan will miss the opening two games of season - against Geelong and Port Adelaide - and faces a fight for his spot in the team alongside the likes of new recruit Bobby Hill.
"He obviously forfeits his spot in the first few rounds and we're not quite sure when he'll get in, so it's a significant cost for him," Wright said.
"We'll miss him but obviously someone else will have to step up."
