The AFL has launched an investigation into Geelong coach Chris Scott’s new role with a finance firm.
The league confirmed to this masthead on Tuesday night that it had launched a probe into Scott’s role as chief of leadership and performance at Morris Finance, a major sponsor of the Geelong Football Club.
Scott’s new role was announced last week and will not interfere with his commitments as senior coach.
Morris Finance has been a sponsor of Scott for the past five years, in addition to their long-standing role with Geelong for the past 14 years.
The investigation will look into whether there has been any potential soft cap breach by Scott’s deal with Morris Finance.
The soft cap for football department spending, including coaches’ wages, is set by the AFL and in season 2025 clubs can spend up to $7.675 million.
The AFL typically investigates third-party deals for coaches and players, ensuring they don’t breach any cap regulations.
Scott told Seven News last week the arrangement had been ticked off by the league, the Cats and Morris Finance.
“You obviously wouldn’t go into something unless you were crystal clear on how it was all supposed to work,” he told Seven.
“It’s really just the formalisation of something we’ve been working on for a long time.”
The Geelong Football Club and Morris Finance have been contacted for comment. This masthead enquired with the AFL about the deal last week, but is not suggesting any wrongdoing.
