On Tuesday, Collingwood suspended star half-forward Alan Didak and defender Heath Shaw for their involvement in a drink-driving accident on Sunday night and for initially denying that Didak was a passenger in the vehicle.
They won’t play again this season.
The timing of the incident is worsened by the Magpies’ on-field struggles, with their prospect of playing finals threatened as they work to arrest a three-game losing streak.
Before he joined the Kangaroos in January, Arocca was Collingwood's chief operating officer and served as the club's lawyer when Didak was disciplined in June 2007 for being in the company of a man involved in a Melbourne CBD shooting days later.
Ahead of Collingwood’s punishment of Didak and Shaw, Arocca expressed concern at the predicaments faced by AFL players but had a positive assessment of his group.
“I think it's probably a bit unfair for me to comment about what's happening down the road,” he replied, when asked about the events faced by Collingwood.
“Every club has to deal with the same issues, but what it does crystallise is that in football there's a ripple effect for anything that happens. I think that our players, more than any others, understand that it can affect a club.
“In North Melbourne's case, there's a financial effect on the club if these players don't perform well, both on and off the field. They're great ambassadors for this club, but when you see what happens at any club, a player's impact on the sponsors, on the club, on the supporters [and] on the media is far-reaching.
“If anything, we hope our players learn from what happens and see the consequences of their actions and how they can impact upon a club.”
Arocca added that players will “always surprise you, and that's why you've just got to be careful about commenting on these issues, because there can be anything around the corner at any given time.”
However, he stressed that North Melbourne has practices in place to discourage behaviour that goes against its on- and off-field conduct and values.
“From a football point of view, I think there's a responsibility to your teammates that you behave in a professional manner,” he said.
“We do have a mantra of looking after our own, demanding each other of our obligations.
“I think that with the medical, psychological and legal experience we've got at this club, we are constantly reminding our players from the leadership group down about the ways and means that they can deal with particular situations.
“But we do have great faith in our players and we rely upon them to make the right call at the right time.”
