Brayshaw’s family shows concern for banned Gaff
Andrew Brayshaw's father has accepted the apology from Andrew Gaff and his family for the sickening punch that broke his son's jaw, while expressing concern for the welfare of the West Coast Eagles midfielder.
Gaff was suspended for eight weeks for punching Brayshaw in the head during Sunday's western derby fixture between the Eagles and Fremantle in Perth.
The blow, which was delivered behind the play, left the 18-year-old Brayshaw with a broken jaw and three dislodged teeth. He underwent surgery on Sunday night and will not be able to eat solid food for the next four weeks.
Gaff has both personally and publicly apologised to Brayshaw, while his father Craig has also reached out to Brayshaw's parents.
Although Brayshaw's brother Angus, who plays for Melbourne, likened the incident to an "assault" at "a nightclub or on the streets", his father Mark Brayshaw said he and his wife Debra appreciated the apology from Gaff and his family.
"Craig rang me and left a message. I called him back straight away. We had a really good chat," Mark Brayshaw told SEN Radio.
"He apologised, and I said, 'It's not really for me to accept it, but both of us, Debra and I, accept your apology.
"I said, 'I wish I could shake your hand and have a beer about it in person'."
Gaff is an Eagles teammate of Brayshaw's brother Hamish, who spoke highly of the 26-year-old in the wake of the incident that has dominated the AFL headlines since Sunday.
"Hamish said to me Andrew Gaff is one of his best mates, and the most delightful bloke you have ever met," Mark Brayshaw said.
Brayshaw's family hopes Gaff 'gets through it all'
Mark Brayshaw, who played for North Melbourne and is the AFL Coaches Association chief executive, said his son would bounce back physically from the incident, but he was confident he would also recover emotionally.
He wrote on the PlayersVoice website he and his family were concerned for Gaff, as he dealt with the fall-out from his violent act.
"We're interested in and caring about how the other Andrew is going," he wrote.
"Young Andrew Gaff and his family are in the middle of this maelstrom which is pretty intense, and he's got a few other things going on.
"We hope he does well and gets through it all."
Mark Brayshaw said his son and Gaff would meet later this week, and he was hopeful they would "shake hands and move on".
Gaff will miss the remainder of the AFL season because of the suspension, which equals the longest imposed this century.
He again offered his sympathy to Brayshaw following his tribunal hearing in Melbourne on Tuesday night.
"I see myself as a caring, gentle and measured person, and that's why it's disappointing so much more," Gaff said.
"I'm disappointed for Andrew. I'm disappointed in myself."
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