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HARLEY Bennell disrespected Richmond when he visited the club as the Tigers looked to trade for him, general manager of football Dan Richardson says.
Gold Coast wanted Bennell out of the club after a string of off-field indiscretions and Richmond was interested in bringing in the star midfielder.
However the Tigers lost interest after Bennell met with them, and spent some time with midfielder Dustin Martin.
On Wednesday Bennell was traded to Fremantle for draft picks 16 and 35, with pick 22 going to the Suns.
Asked on NAB AFL Trade Radio on Thursday if he was disappointed with how Bennell presented himself, Richardson said, "Yeah, we were.
"We flew him over from Perth to find out a little bit more about him and where he's at, and we don't feel he gave that process a great deal of respect.
"Nor did his management, and that's why we moved on."
Bennell's manager is Perth-based Colin Young.
Bennell was cut from the Suns after an off-field incident in September, when he allegedly slapped a cigarette out of the mouth of a bouncer outside a nightclub.
He was charged by police and then later settled a public nuisance charge out of court.
The September 6 incident was the last straw in Bennell's troubled time with the Suns.
In July he was given a fine and a three-game suspended ban by the Suns after photos of him appearing to use illicit drugs at a Tasmanian hotel in 2013 were published nationwide.
Bennell was drafted at No.2 in the 2010 NAB AFL National Draft.
His talent has never been in doubt, with arguably his best performance coming in a win against Geelong in 2014 when he had 27 disposals and kicked six goals.
"He's now a Fremantle player," Richardson said.
"Maybe that's the way it was going all along, which is the reason why it transpired with us the way that it did.
"He's obviously a very talented young player.
"I don't want to be disrespectful.
"(The Dockers) are a strong club and I'm sure they're as good a chance as anyone to turning his life around and getting the most out of his footy.
"It just wasn't meant to be with us."
