Former Brisbane Lion Michael Close has reached settlement with the AFL, his former club and Melbourne Stadiums for an undisclosed amount after launching legal action to recover potential earnings lost due to a knee injury he suffered when he slipped on the astro turf at Marvel Stadium in 2015.
Close, who is now 24, was playing just his 15th AFL game when he landed after marking and his foot slid from the grass on to the astro turf surrounding the boundary at the stadium that was, at the time, called Etihad Stadium and owned by Melbourne Stadiums.
Close played just 12 more senior games after the injury to his ACL which required a knee reconstruction and he was eventually delisted at the end of 2017.
Michael Close in action with the Lions in 2014.Credit:Pat Scala
In documents lodged with the Supreme Court early last year, Close, who was contracted until 2017, estimated that he could have earned $392,000 over the period he was at the club if the injury had not occurred.
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A significant proportion of those projected earnings required Close to play in a certain amount of games per season and finish in the top eight of the best and fairest.
With all parties to the settlement subject to confidentiality agreements the exact figure Close received remains unknown, although a notice of discontinuance was filed in December last year.
His lawyer refused to comment.
The astro turf was removed from its position so close to the boundary line not long after the incident as a precautionary measure.
The AFL now owns Marvel Stadium, after buying it in 2016.
Close joined North Melbourne's VFL team in 2018 but had to retire when he suffered bleeding on the brain after being concussed in a game played at Geelong's GMHBA Stadium.
Players suing the competition for on-field injuries is relatively rare although formeRead More – Source
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