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Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield has been slapped with a three-game suspension for his head-high hit on Crows defender Jake Kelly during Round 1 of the AFL season.
In the second quarter at Adelaide Oval, Dangerfield elected to bump Kelly, instead of tackle, as a result making contact with his opponent's head. Kelly was left concussed from the impact and was stretchered off the ground.
He also suffered a broken nose and will miss at least the Crows' Round 2 game against Sydney on Saturday afternoon.
After the game, Match Review Officer Michael Christian graded the bump as careless, with high contact and severe impact, sending Dangerfield directly to the AFL Tribunal.
Dangerfield said he accepted the tribunal's verdict and ruled out appealing the decision.
"Disappointed, but I certainly understand it," he told Seven News after the verdict.
"I appreciate in the current climate how we need to make sure we protect the health and safety of players and respect concussion."
Geelong's lawyer Ben Ihle cited numerous "worse" examples of severe impact and argued Dangerfield employed a "good bumping technique".
Ihle even asked Apple's virtual assistant Siri for a definition of severe, as well as bringing up two dictionary definitions, before relaying that to the tribunal jury.
"(Dangerfield) accepts that the conduct constituted a reportable offence but does not accept the grading of severe," Ihle told the tribunal.
"If there had not been a head clash, he would not have been reported."
The Tribunal panel, consisting of Richard Loveridge, Paul Williams, Jason Johnson and chairman Ross Howie, spent 20 minutes deliberating via video link before returning and confirming they had graded the impact as 'severe' and would be handing down a penalty accordingly.
The ban means Dangerfield will miss Geelong's upcoming games against Brisbane, Hawthorn and Melbourne.
He is also out of Brownlow Medal contention for the second time in five years.
IMAGE: The Herald Sun.