Sport Integrity Australia is reportedly probing the death of a former Melbourne and Fremantle player as part of its investigation into the AFL’s illicit drug policy.
Harley Balic died in January 2022, days after his 25th birthday.
Harley Balic warming up before a Dockers match in 2017. Credit: Getty
Two people close to Balic, who would not speak publicly because of the sensitivities of his case, have confirmed to this masthead that he battled drug addiction, anxiety and mental health issues.
The Herald Sun reported on Wednesday that Balic’s case was referenced in a statement made by former Melbourne doctor Zeeshan Arain, which was handed to Sport Integrity Australia by federal MP Andrew Wilkie last month, and that Dr Arain had been interviewed by SIA investigators.
The Herald Sun reported that Dr Arain said in his statement: “Often list management is used to solve a lot of problems.
“It gets to the point where they (AFL clubs) are like, ‘Well, if we can’t help this player, we will move them on.’
“And the problem is that the player doesn’t cease to exist to be a person once they are not in your club, the duty of care still goes on.
“Take Harley Balic, for example. A few years after Harley Balic left the Melbourne Football Club, he was dead related to drug use.”
Sport Integrity Australia announced in March it would investigate allegations around illicit drug tests in the AFL, following accusations made in parliament by Wilkie.
Wilkie claimed in the House of Representatives that club doctors were conducting tests in the week leading up to a match on players who had previously failed an illicit drug test for banned substances to avoid running foul of anti-doping rules and risking long bans from the sport.