Jack Darling has returned to training with his teammates and coaches at the West Coast Eagles after adhering to the AFL‘s COVID-19 protocols.
Forced to spend time away from the club and train by himself because of his hesitancy to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, Darling will need to recover his match fitness before he finds himself back in the mix for team selection.
As of January 21, the AFL’s policy states that all players and staff must have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccination to be allowed to enter their club.
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The Eagles and the AFL had been working with Darling and his legal representatives to reach an outcome that would keep his 236-game career alive.
It is unsure whether the premiership forward has been vaccinated, how many doses he has received, when he had the jabs or which type of vaccine he had administered.
The Eagles issued a statement declaring the club would provide no insight into Darling’s personal medical record.
“This period has been a very difficult one for Jack and his family and we ask that his privacy be respected,” the statement read.
“The club will not be making any comment on any of our players’ private medical information.”
The AFL earlier rejected an attempt from Darling to secure a medical exemption. This would have allowed him to play while being unvaccinated.
Darling has a four-year deal in place which is expected to earn him close to $800,000 per year. If he had refused to meet the AFL’s vaccination policy he would have likely been placed on the Eagles inactive list where he could earn just $28,000 of his salary a year.
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