Johnson offered six-week ban
3:11 PM Mon 20 August, 2007
Nick Hulett
for collingwoodfc.com.au
Collingwood deputy vice-captain Ben Johnson can accept a six-match suspension with an early plea after the match review panel found him guilty of forceful contact on Melbourne’s Daniel Bell during the third quarter of Friday night’s round 20 match.
The 26-year-old has been charged with ‘bumping or making forceful contact to an opponent from front-on when that player has his head over the ball’. The offence was categorised as reckless conduct (two points), severe impact (four points) and high contact (two points), resulting eight activation points and a classification level five offence.
That resulted in 750 base demerit points and a seven-match sanction. Johnson has 70.31 existing carry-over points from a striking charge from round 19, increasing the total demerit points to 820.31 and an eight-week ban.
An early guilt plea reduces the suspension by 25 per cent to 615.23 points and a six-week ban, ending his 2007 season even if Collingwood plays four finals, including the grand final.
http://afl.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsId=49410
