Geelong have accepted Patrick Dangerfield's one-match suspension, ending the midfielder's hopes of winning a second consecutive Brownlow medal.
The club will not challenge the rough conduct charge at the tribunal, meaning Dangerfield is ineligible for this year's award. Under Brownlow protocol, he will still present the medal to the winner at the official count.
Hawthorn's Luke Hodge, however, will challenge his striking charge at a tribunal hearing on Tuesday night. Hodge was offered a one-match ban for striking Sydney's Tom Papley, and would face only an additional $2,500 fine if unsuccessful.
Geelong sought legal advice before making the decision. Football manager Steve Hocking said: "The club reviewed all possibilities around the case in coming to this decision. We respect the fact that the match review panel has a challenging and difficult role and has to operate under high scrutiny."
Dangerfield, who won his first Brownlow last year, was the favourite to win again, but Richmond's Dustin Martin is now the outright favourite. No player has won back-to-back Brownlows since St Kilda's Robert Harvey in 1997-98.
Dangerfield will miss Friday night's match against Sydney at Simonds Stadium. Had the Cats challenged and lost, he would likely have received a two-game ban, also ruling him out of the round-21 clash with Richmond. If Dangerfield polls the most votes, he will become the fourth player to miss out because of suspension, after Corey McKernan (1996), Chris Grant (1997) and Jobe Watson (2012). Separately, Sydney's Lance Franklin accepted a $1,500 fine for contact with Hodge's face, and Collingwood's Taylor Adams took a $1,000 fine for rough conduct.
