AFL umpire Michael Pell's contract has been terminated following the Brownlow Medal betting scandal.
The AFL informed the "wounded" umpiring group earlier this week about the decision to remove Pell from the umpiring ranks.
It is believed that information about the 2022 Queen's Birthday game and the round 23 clash between St Kilda and Sydney were leaked.
Pell joined the AFL ahead of the 2021 season, which has now been included in the investigation along with games from this year.
Outgoing CEO Gillon McLachlan announced Pell's dismissal on Thursday.
“The umpire is not employed by the AFL anymore,” McLachlan said, according to the Herald Sun.
“There is no employment relationship between the AFL and the umpire at the centre of the allegations. Broader consequences are now with the police because it’s a criminal matter.”
The AFL has dumped Michael Pell, the umpire allegedly at the centre of the Brownlow Medal betting scandal.@joshuadawe9 #9News pic.twitter.com/0UhetB5lP7
— 9News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) December 15, 2022
The illegal betting activity has brought the medal into disrepute, with some saying that a change in the voting system is required.
However, McLachlan believes that the Brownlow and the way it's determined should not be changed.
"The Brownlow voting will stay exactly the same," McLachlan said.
“I don’t think the integrity of the Brownlow was compromised in any way.
“There was not any manipulation of the votes and the winner. It was an issue of personal integrity, allegedly, and we have got to see how that plays out.
“The allegations have wounded the umpires personally and I feel for them, (but) I don’t think it bleeds into the Brownlow.”
2022 Brownlow medalist Patrick Cripps said he wasn't fazed by the saga.
“It had nothing really to do with me,” Cripps said.
“It’s more of a personal integrity issue. I know there’s a fair bit of noise around it, but I didn’t really read into it at all.”
