Has the AFL inadvertently just given away the winner of the 2018 Brownlow Medal?
League CEO Gillon McLachlan was responding to claims Tom Mitchell’s management is planning on charging media for interviews with their client next Tuesday morning.
“I know Tom will be doing a lot of media and he won’t be charging,” McLachlan told Neil Mitchell on 3AW on Friday morning.
The slip of the tongue will no doubt see a betting plunge on the prolific Hawthorn midfielder, despite McLachlan trying to dig his way out of trouble by saying he personally thinks Max Gawn will take home the medal.
MORE: All you need to know about the 2018 Brownlow Medal | Rohan Connolly's guide to the Brownlow winner
He was also quick to point out that whoever wins on the night, and no matter how hard they celebrate, they will be required to confront the media for free the next morning.
“I don’t know who the managers are but they’ve made a mistake. That won’t happen.”
However, McLachlan quickly fell back into dangerous territory.
“Tom will see that this is one of the great honours in football and he will do a lot of media the next day … this is on the assumption he wins.”
“If you’re a Brownlow Medal winner then you do make a lot of money out of it in the long term.”
You can't leave Tom Mitchell alone at a stoppage! #AFLFreoHawks pic.twitter.com/rptmMdXWR1
— AFL (@AFL) July 29, 2018
Mitchell’s management released a statement to try and help quash talk the winner was already known.
“In order to clarify the situation, if any of our managed players are lucky enough to win the Brownlow Medal, as per previous years, they will be available for the prescribed AFL media requirements," TLA Australia’s CEO Craig Kelly said.
"Further to this, our players have always been available to media the following morning and this year will be no different.
"We apologise for the miscommunication around fees for these interviews, and also to Tom Mitchell for any embarrassment caused this morning.”
Sounds like a quiet punt might be justified.