Harley Balic: Father of footy star who was found dead during his drug addiction battle reveals why he blames the AFL for his son's tragic end

The shattered father of former footy star Harley Balic has blamed the AFL's controversial policies on illicit drug use for his son's tragic death.

Balic was just 25 when he died in a Melbourne hotel room in January 2022, falling victim to his ongoing drug addiction.

During his three-year playing career with the Fremantle Dockers and Melbourne Demons, Balic was placed into the AFL's 'medical model', under which players are not penalised for testing positive to illicit drugs.

It comes as a Sport Integrity Australia investigation has commenced into the league's controversial illicit drugs policy.

'I believe that the AFL has a duty of care to formally intervene early into young vulnerable players who have been identified as having substance abuse issues,' Balic's father Eddie told News Corp.

'I also feel that had better support been put in place early for my son, it may have prevented this tragic outcome.

'The huge disappointment is that the AFL knew a lot and as a family we weren't told ... we may have saved him.

'To this day it disappoints me that no one from senior management of the AFL has ever made contact with me over the terrible loss of my son.'

Under the AFL's 'medical model' players identified as occasional or regular drug users are exempted from the competition's three strikes program.

In turn, players can be tested before games to ensure they don't return a positive reading - and then have allegedly been ruled out with fake injuries to avoid suspensions under the world anti-doping code.

Balic, a star junior in Melbourne with the Sandringham Dragons, was drafted by Fremantle with pick 38 in the 2015 national draft.

The midfielder played four games for the Dockers in 2017 before being traded back to Melbourne.

He was delisted by the Demons after just one season, failing to play senior footy. 

After announcing his retirement in 2018, Balic turned his focus to helping others.

As Melburnians were plunged into their first of many Covid lockdowns in 2020, Balic plunged into icy waters in the hope of bringing attention to the population's hidden mental health crisis.

What started out as a 30-day challenge stretched into 50 days as then-Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews' lockdowns dragged on and on.

'Regardless your situation you're not alone. Do things that will make whatever situation your facing less chaotic instead of more,' Balic posted after 30 days.

'I’m no angel but this is something that’s helped with clarity and routine.'

Balic was employed by Monash Health as a mental health worker - before sadly taking his own life four years later.

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