The AFL Players Association advised Jake Carlisle's manager not to inform St Kilda of the allegations against the player despite knowing that Channel Nine was threatening to expose footage of Carlisle taking illicit drugs.

In a revelation which has created significant friction between the Saints and the players union it has emerged that the AFLPA knew about the allegations against Carlisle in the hours that preceded his trade to St Kilda but said nothing and advised Anthony McConville to do the same. The players' union has since said it would not sanction McConville.

Carlisle and McConville fronted the AFL's integrity bosses on Thursday with the player having admitted he misled his manager when first contacted about the vision which was shown on A Current Affair last Wednesday, just hours after his multimillion-dollar agreement with the Saints was ratified by the AFL.

Players boss Paul Marsh admitted to Fairfax Media that McConville sought the advice of the AFLPA. He said he backed the decision of the players' union to initially withhold the information from St Kilda although he admitted the timing had been unfortunate. "Whilst the timing could not have been more unsatisfactory for the club as it turned out, the agent would have been breaching his obligations to the player if he was to act on the limited information he was aware of any earlier."