ALASTAIR Clarkson's fiery temperament has landed him in hot water, with the Hawthorn coach being investigated over an incident at a junior football match on Sunday.
Clarkson made headlines during the Hawks' big win over Collingwood on Saturday when he punched a hole in the MCG coach's box wall after his team conceded a goal just before the quarter-time siren.
The following day Clarkson was involved in a verbal altercation with an off-field official at his son's junior game.
Some media reports have claimed the abuse was directed at an umpire but Clarkson told hawthornfc.com.au he was speaking to a runner.
A club press release said Clarkson "was attempting to reorganise the players when both teams began to kick to the same end when he was instructed to leave the ground".
"During the conversation with the League official, I used a couple of expletives and I apologise to the official for the language used," Clarkson said.
"I was only trying to reorganise the players into their correct positions and certainly didn't intend for this to become an issue for the official, the League, or the two teams," he said.
A contrite Clarkson said he would cooperate fully with SMJFL inquiry and accept its determination.
» Hawk injured in nightclub fracas
He also offered to personally repair the hole in the wall at the MCG but was advised against it for health and safety reasons. It has since been revealed he will pay for the repair work out of his own pocket.
Earlier on Monday, Hawks midfielder Sam Mitchell made light of Saturday's coach's box incident, saying Clarkson's fiery side was part of what made him successful at his job.
"If you search 'angry little man' on Google, believe it or not, he's the first thing that comes up," Mitchell said.
"An important part of being a coach is being able to show passion and show how important it is to you.
"Although he hasn't punched a wall or anything like that in front of the players, he does show passion like that in front of us."
In 2010 Clarkson, along with St Kilda's Nick Riewoldt, was the face of the AFL's 'Umpiring is everyone's business' campaign, an initiative that encouraged a positive match-day environment and supported umpires at community level.
It has been an embarrassing 48 hours for the Hawks, confirming that Jarrad Boumann was injured in a nightclub fracas and pledging to educate star forward Lance Franklin after he was caught speeding last week.
Boumann, who has played two AFL games this season, played in the Box Hill Hawks' 116-point VFL win over Collingwood at Victoria Park on Saturday.
The club confirmed he was involved in an incident at approximately 2.45am on Sunday and is required to give a statement to police investigating the incident.
