THE BRISBANE Lions have cleared vice-captain Daniel Rich of any wrongdoing after an incident involving a wheelchair-bound man on Sunday night.
The club undertook an internal investigation on Friday, following reports of the incident earlier that day, and said there was no evidence Rich had acted in an unlawful manner.
Rich was with a number of teammates in the inner west Brisbane suburb of Toowong on Sunday night when the incident occurred.
Speaking just prior to the club's best and fairest dinner at the Gabba on Friday night, CEO Malcolm Holmes said the Lions took the allegations seriously.
"We haven't found any evidence that our players acted in an unlawful manner," Holmes said
"You'll find that some of the allegations were withdrawn by the complainant.
"There's been variations between what was reported this morning in the media, and what we've found."
Reports suggested Rich had pushed the man over and then threw food on him, but Holmes said the club's investigation found nothing of the sort.
Holmes said the Lions had spoken to police, who had no intention of talking to anybody at the club, although the Lions would fully co-operate if that changed.
Rich wheeled the man some metres towards a taxi rank, but Holmes said at no stage was Rich's intent to distress or harm.
This latest controversy comes just days after St Kilda midfielder Clint Jones apologised to a dwarf entertainer for setting him alight during Mad Monday festivities at a Melbourne hotel.
