Brisbane Lions captain Dayne Zorko will not face further punishment from the AFL after his vile sledge toward Melbourne defender Harrison Petty was revealed.
Petty was reduced to tears by the verbal attack from Zorko during Friday night's match, with the Herald Sun reporting the sledge along the lines of: "I hope your mother dies."
The AFL is understood to be not considering any sanctions towards Zorko, with the organisation content with an apology from the Lions skipper and the way both clubs have handled the incident.
Zorko's role as Brisbane's skipper is under threat for the 2023 season, with the club to decide if the 33-year-old continues in the position during the off-season.
In a statement on Saturday, Zorko admitted his actions were inappropriate.
“I have apologised to Harrison for the inappropriate comment I made to him last night,” he said.
“I’m remorseful for my actions and take full responsibility for the hurt caused to Harrison, his family and the Melbourne Football Club.
“In reflection, I understand I need to be a better leader, and have spoken with the club who have reinforced this.”
The club also revealed Zorko had been spoken to by senior members of staff including CEO Greg Swann and coach Chris Fagan.
After the match, Melbourne football manager Alan Richardson revealed Petty believed Zorko had made an “over the top” comment towards his opponent.
Coach Simon Goodwin said the same in his post-match press conference, confirming the AFL were set to investigate the matter.
"Petts thought he heard something inappropriate about a family member, he was a bit upset about it," Goodwin said.
"The Lions have spoken to us and obviously the AFL will look at it, but that's pretty much the details we can give at the moment. We're going to hand it over to the AFL."
Goodwin said he felt Brisbane had handled the matter well as a club.
"Petts was a bit emotional at three-quarter time, he went away, re-set himself and came back into the game," Goodwin said.
"Brisbane have been quite apologetic towards us, and that's the type of footy club they are.
"They're a very respected, humble footy club and we'll take them at their word."
