The AFL players' union says it was aware of Collingwood defender Harry O'Brien's personal issues before he revealed them publicly.
And it has backed Collingwood's leaders to help O'Brien deal with his demons and return to the field at the right time.
O'Brien says he has been wading through serious issues related to depression, sexual abuse and suicide.
The revelations emerged several days after O'Brien did not play in the Pies' victory over Carlton.
He had been involved in a disagreement with coach Nathan Buckley, while the club said he also had an ankle injury.
AFL Players' Association (AFLPA) chief executive Matt Finnis said his organisation had been helping the 26-year-old before the events of recent days.
O'Brien's Magpies teammate Luke Ball is president of the AFLPA.
"They weren't a shock because I've been aware that Harry's had some personal issues he's been dealing with for some time now," Finnis said on Wednesday.
"Our association's been supporting him with that ... players are not immune from any of the vulnerabilities and fallibilities that you or I might suffer in society.
"What's best for Harry will be worked out between Harry and the experts around him and the footy club.
"One thing I am very confident of is that in a person like Nathan Buckley as coach, with peers like Luke Ball and (Magpies captain) Nick Maxwell, I'm sure Harry will get the support around him to make sure he's best placed to both deal with the issues off the field and get back to playing the great footy he has been."
Buckley and the Magpies have expressed their support for O'Brien and he has stepped down from the club's leadership group - with no firm date set for him to return to playing football.
O'Brien will not play in Collingwood's clash with Adelaide at the MCG on Friday night.
Magpies star Scott Pendlebury said all at the club were behind O'Brien as he battled his personal demons, and hinted a return in a fortnight for the backman was a possibility.
"He's got a week of training (next week) and hopefully, that Gold Coast game in two weeks, he can get back and be ready for," Pendlebury said.
"We know Harry is a person first and a footballer second.
"I think everyone now understands that you've got to respect him and give him his space. He's going through some pretty serious stuff."
Victoria's police chief says there have been no requests from Brazil to probe O'Brien over one of his revelations - that he witnessed a murder there.
However Chief Commissioner Ken Lay says police will probably have a talk with Collingwood about claims O'Brien watched a man die in Rio de Janeiro two years ago.
* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 and MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78.
Source: http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8687851
the cutting edge fox 8 news angelina jolie leg daytona artie lange nascar daytona 2012 kasey kahne
