UPDATE 1pm from Herald-Sun:
RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick says Daniel Jackson won't be punished for airing his frustration with the match review panel on Facebook.
Jackson has been forced to remove a slap at the AFL's much-criticised match review panel from his Facebook page.
After his third penalty for the season, a frustrated Jackson told his Facebook friends: "Dan Jackson is sick of playing a pussy sport and so is retiring in favour of playing a real man's sport. Perhaps I'll be better suited to the NRL?"
Hardwick said today the incident served as a lesson to Jackson, other AFL players and society at large.
“Look he was just frustrated, and he was disappointed with the comments, as were we,” Hardwick told the AFL website at Richmond training this morning.
“He’s learned a lesson and it gives a valuable lesson to all other players within the AFL, but also people in general, I think.
“Those sort of things, whilst you think you’re only talking to a few people, will actually go out to millions.”
“We’ve spoken to our players about it previously, but it’s a good reminder and we’ll speak to them about it again.
“Social media these days, with Twitter and all those forms of communication ... it can be a dangerous thing.”
Jackson's salvo was yesterday made public by one of Jackson's several hundred "friends" on the social interaction website.
AFL players who criticise the league or the game's officials - including umpires, the match-review panel or the tribunal - face fines and, in extreme cases, suspension.
The Jackson case is one of the first involving social media, where comments are not always intended for public consumption.
An embarrassed Jackson last night said in a statement to the Herald Sun: "I was disappointed in myself for getting suspended and wrote something in the heat of the moment. It was inappropriate and I have removed the comment. AFL football is a great game.
"It certainly served as a reminder to me, and hopefully others, that you need to be very careful when using Facebook and other social media."
AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson said he was aware of the comments, which he said would be scrutinised under the same rules governing criticism of the AFL and its official.
"All the same rules apply. But from what I understand, he (Jackson) regrets making those comments and he'd be disappointed in himself," Anderson said.
Susan McLean, a former policewoman who tutors AFL players on the pitfalls of social media sites, said eight clubs had taken up an offer of education for players. Richmond was not one of those.
"Richmond are one of the clubs that haven't had a cyber-safety education session - and the lesson is, basically, that the internet is a public place," McLean said.
"No matter how you put it on Facebook, it can be released and you need to be mindful of what you write."
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/red-faced-tiger-daniel-jackson-removes-sledge/story-e6frf9jf-1225891813393
