Aussie Johnson gets five-match suspension
Chris Johnson is unlikely to play for his country again after being handed a five-match suspension from the International Rules Series today.
At a joint AFL-GAA Tribunal, held at the Australia Football League's Melbourne offices, the 29-year-old Brisbane Lions defender pleaded guilty to striking both Philip Jordan and Mattie Forde during last month's International Rules second Test at the Telstra Dome.
That means Johnson, if he is still playing, is ineligible to line out for the Aussies until the second Test of the 2008 Series.
Cork referee Michael Collins red-carded Australian co-captain Johnson for his "clothes-line" style tackle on Tyrone defender Jordan and subsequent scuffle with Wexford attacker Forde in the second Test's second quarter.
The GAA's Head of Games Pat Daly was the Association's representative at the Tribunal, via video link.
Johnson, a three-time Premiership winner, issued a heartfelt apology afterwards, saying: "You don't know how disappointed I am in myself at what happened.
"To Philip Jordan and Mattie Forde, I apologise sincerely to you guys. I'd like to say to them that I can't believe it was me doing those things – it's not the way that I play the game."
"I really would love to have the chance to play against them again and prove to them that it was an isolated, temporary lapse, and not one of my character traits."
Meanwhile, the International Rules committee have also decided on a significant rule change for future Series.
While Johnson was sent-off in the second Test and allowed to be replaced by an inter-change player, from 2006 onwards, when a player receives a red card, the opposing team will be awarded a penalty kick immediately after the incident, regardless of where the sending-off incident takes place on the field.
In addition, the team whose player was sent-off will not be able to bring on a replacement player on for another 20 minutes.
