Thomas was sacked by the Kangaroos for inappropriate behaviour towards women earlier this year and is serving an 18-match AFL-imposed suspension. Thomas has to complete an education course before the AFL consents to allowing him to be registered to play again, but he cannot return to the AFL in 2024 due to the timing of his suspension.
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Thomas was suspended by North Melbourne in 2023 and initially charged by police with threatening to distribute an intimate image before prosecutors agreed to drop the charge in July and replaced it with another offence of using a carriage service to harass. He did not record a conviction for a criminal offence.
Police have not charged Thomas for any of the subsequent incidents from 2024 that led to his AFL suspension.
The AFL has a partnership with Our Watch, the national organisation committed to preventing violence against women and children.
Our Watch CEO Patty Kinnersly is also a member of the Carlton board and has been influential in shaping the “Carlton Respects” program, which promotes gender equality and was developed, according to the club, “in response to the alarming statistics around family and domestic violence in Australia”.
Blues players wear orange socks as part of the Carlton Respects campaign during the 2021 season.Credit: AFL Photos / Getty Images
The deaths of 29 women in the first four months of this year equated to one every 4.17 days. “We are looking at a shocking rate of violent deaths of women this year that exceeds anything Australia has experienced in recent years,” Kinnersly said last week. “The community, men and women, are demanding that this ends, and ends now.”
If you or someone you know is affected by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.
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