Dean was charged with, and pleaded guilty to, striking Ling during the first quarter of the Round 15 match between Fremantle and Geelong.
In summary, his total activation points saw the case referred directly to the Tribunal for its determination under the Match Review Panel rules and there was no offer of an early plea.
The incident was assessed as intentional conduct (three points), severe impact (four points) and high contact (two points). This is a total of nine activation points, and any offence with nine points results in the charge being automatically forwarded to the Tribunal for its determination under MRP guidelines. He has an existing record of three matches suspended within the last three years. He also has 32.81 demerit points carried over from within the last 12 months.
"The club has accepted the decision of the tribunal and we will not be challenging the length of the suspension," said General Manager of Football Operations Robert Shaw.
Ryan Crowley will be available for selection this weekend after the tribunal found him not guilty of striking Gary Ablett in the first quarter of Saturday's match.
