‘Magnitude of his actions’: Suns suspend Mac Andrew after drink driving charge

The Gold Coast Suns said on Tuesday that Mac Andrew will miss the first two games of the AFL season in a club-imposed sanction after he was charged with drink driving last month.

The 19-year-old Suns defender met with the club’s leadership group on Saturday to explain his decision to drive home in the early hours of New Year’s Eve last year while under the influence of alcohol.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Gold Coast confirmed that the leadership group recommended Andrew be unavailable for selection in the first two games of the season, along with any pre-season action

Those proposed sanctions were approved by the club, who said that Andrew would also complete alcohol and driver education sessions and assist with multicultural community programs twice a week over the next six weeks.

“It was the view of the leadership group that although Mac had been honest and shown remorse since the incident, the punishment handed down would ensure he understands the magnitude of his actions and hopefully assist him to make better life decisions, moving forward,” the statement read.

“These actions have been agreed to by Mac and are in addition to any sanctions handed down by the Queensland judicial system.”

Andrew, who was the Sun’s top 10 pick from 2021 and is contracted with the Suns until at least the end of the 2025 season, is scheduled to face court later this month