Tomas Bugg Biography

Tom Bugg sensationally retires from AFL football, just three months after he was recruited to Carlton.

The 25-year-old posted on social media after announcing his decision that he would invest more time in his business, a social media and influencer agency.

Carlton select Tomas Bugg with pick No.19 in the 2018 Rookie Draft.

"We also feel that Tom will add some uncompromising pressure to our forward half, which we think will benefit the side," Blues list manager Stephen Silvagni said.

"We all know Tom’s competitive edge and his hunger for the contest, that is where we believe he will be a terrific addition to our playing group.”

Tom Bugg is delisted by Melbourne.

Tomas Bugg speaks out about the toll taken by his devastating punch on Sydney's Callum Mills, and how he is working hard to change people's views about his character.

Bugg was handed a six-week suspension for knocking Mills out in an off-the-ball incident when the two teams met in round 15 this season.

"I wasn't actually looking at him when I hit him. I heard the umpire's whistle, he was running over, then I looked down and saw Callum on the ground," Bugg wrote in a column for playersvoice.com.au.

"Callum actually muttered something to me on his way down, I'm pretty sure it was, 'f*** you'.

"From that point my whole body kind of dropped. It was such a strange experience, like I was watching it unfold from off the field.

"All the Sydney players came at me and were ripping my jumper, throwing me around. I didn't fight back at all, didn't push back, I just let myself get thrown around. I'd usually push back if someone goes at me, but I didn't. I just let it happen.

"I was nowhere for the rest of the game. I kept replaying the incident over and over in my head all night. It’s the longest game I've ever played."

Tom Bugg has been suspended for six matches for his strike on Callum Mills after pleading guilty at the Tribunal.

"I want to apologise to Callum Mills, his family, the Sydney Swans, the AFL and the wider community," Bugg said after the hearing at AFL House.

"I'm standing here tonight very embarrassed by my actions. I fully accept the sanction that's been served.

"I'm feeling very embarrassed and going forward I've got a lot of work to do to earn back the respect of my captains, my fellow players and my coaches."

Tom Bugg is sent straight to the Tribunal for striking Sydney defender Callum Mills after the Match Review Panel graded his punch as intentional conduct with high impact to the head.

Tom Papley slams Tom Bugg's hit on Sydney teammate Callum Mills.

"It was a pretty dog act," Papley said.

"That's not how we go about it, it's not what the League's about. If you want to be tough, you be tough at the contest, not 80 metres off the ball."

An embarrassed Tom Bugg says he is ready to take responsibility for his strike that left Sydney's Callum Mills concussed in Melbourne's loss on Friday night.

Bugg was reported minutes into his side's 35-point defeat to the resurgent Swans at the MCG, when he struck Mills with his left hand.

Mills was immediately floored and helped from the field before failing the club's concussion test and playing no further part in the game.

"I saw the footage and it does look really bad. I'm a bit embarrassed, my genuine intent – it looks really bad – but it wasn't to hurt Callum," Bugg told Channel Seven after the loss.

"It was disappointing he couldn't take part in the rest of the game, and going forward I hope he's OK.

"I went and tried to speak to him after the game but I could understand he didn't want to speak to me too much. I just hope for him and his family that he gets better and he can play next week."

A giant Tom Bugg mural has popped up in Melbourne's famed graffiti gallery in Hosier Lane.

The mural, by local artist Lushsux, features the hashtag #youready?, referencing Bugg's Instagram message to Jason Johannisen.

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin, however, said Bugg's friendly taunt was not endorsed by the club.

"Tom plays the game a certain way and I think his teammates love the way he goes about his footy but I'd be lying if we didn't have the discussion around what we saw last week," Goodwin said.

"As a club we want to be seen as respectful and humble and a club that's team-first and we've had an education with our group around what that looks like."

Tomas Bugg says hist Instagram post challenging Western Bulldogs backman Jason Johannisen was just a bit of fun between mates.

Bugg took a photo with teammates Jack Watts before Sunday's 57-point win against the Dogs and put it on Instagram, asking Johannisen: 'You ready?'.

"I know Jason, so it was just a bit of playful (banter) before the game," Bugg said.

"I didn't look too far into it. They're a great side so we knew they were going to come at us no matter what. I didn't read too much into it."

Tomas Bugg says he cringes every time he watches vision of himself pushing injured Tiger Jack Riewoldt in Melbourne's night game against Richmond at the MCG.

Bugg felt compelled to express his regret for his part in the incident, having accepted that he crossed the line in the Demons' 33-point win.

"When I watch back now, I'm definitely remorseful," Bugg said.

"It actually makes me cringe when I watch the footage. At the time I didn't really think of the consequences and what would come from it."

The Match Review Panel handed Bugg a $1000 fine for making contact with an injured player after vision surfaced of him pushing a clearly distressed Riewoldt while he was in the hands of trainers early in the final term.

Bugg texted Riewoldt after the match to apologise for the way he had conducted himself and the tough onballer conceded he allowed himself to get caught up in the heat of the moment.

"It (the MRP sanction) was probably a valid punishment. It's totally against the rules and going forward it should be treated exactly the same way," Bugg said.

"You shouldn't be allowed to make contact with an injured player because the main priority is trying to prevent injuries in our game."

Melbourne lands pick No.7 and GWS defender Tom Bugg in return for pick No.10, 43 and 64.

"Bugg is a super competitive midfielder who is an elite runner and plays with an aggressive streak. He fits into our age bracket profile, as he turns 23 next year," Melbourne football manager Josh Mahoney said.

Melbourne has expressed interest in Greater Western Sydney's Tomas Bugg and Collingwood's Ben Kennedy as it targets "competitive players" in the 21-24 age bracket.

Demons football manager Josh Mahoney confirmed the club was looking to add Bugg, 22, and Kennedy, 21, to its squad in this year's trade period.

Jon Patton has been taken to hospital after being assaulted while holidaying in the United States.

GWS released a statement on Thursday afternoon confirming that the 22-year-old former number one draft pick had been struck on the side of the head in an unprovoked attack outside a Los Angeles nightspot.

Local police confirmed that witnesses saw the incident and a male was taken into custody and arrested for the assault.

Giants teammate Tomas Bugg was with Patton at the time.

Patton has been cleared of any serious injury but was taken to hospital with concussion.

Tomas Bugg says he had no intention of taking out St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt in the final quarter of Sunday's game at Etihad Stadium.

Riewoldt had his eyes fixed on a contest before Bugg cannoned into the Saints' skipper, who was left in the hands of club medical staff for several minutes.

"From my end it was unintentional, I was just going for the ball," he said," Bugg said.

"I saw him last minute and just braced myself. I looked at the vision, and I don't even react to it because I didn't think there was anything wrong."

"I sent Nick a text after the game just making sure he was OK, and I didn't pay much attention to what was being said in the media.

"He hasn't got back to me, but I just wanted to send my regards and make sure he was OK.

"I'm glad the Match Review Panel saw that it was unintentional, and at the end of the day I thought I was pretty sweet."

St Kilda coach Alan Richardson has questioned the intention of Tomas Bugg after he cannoned into Nick Riewoldt in the fourth quarter of the Saints' nine-point loss to the Giants.

Riewoldt was cleared of concussion before he left the ground but was taken to hospital where he was subsequently cleared of whiplash.

"I've had a bit of a look ... the player will know what his intention was," Richardson said.

"If he intended to run into the back of someone who wasn't braced for the contact then it was poor.

"But if it was just a collision and they stumbled across each other, then that's footy, I suppose."

Hayden Ballantyne accepts a one-match suspension for striking Greater Western Sydney's Tomas Bugg, and will miss the Dockers' clash with St Kilda this Saturday.

Ballantyne was reported for striking Bugg in the third quarter of Sunday's clash at Patersons Stadium and would have risked a two-match suspension if he had contested the charge.

It is the sixth suspension of Ballantyne's career.

Nick Suban says Hayden Ballantyne is as disappointed with this latest suspension as anyone else after he accepted a guilty plea for striking Greater Western Sydney's Tomas Bugg.

"If you talk to Hayden he'd be the most disappointed out of anyone," Suban said.

"But that's the way he plays. He'll move on and look forward to playing in a couple of weeks time."

Tomas Bugg makes his AFL debut for GWS at Stadium Australia with 27 disposals (14 kicks and 13 handballs), 5 marks and 4 tackles in a 63-point loss to Sydney.

From schoolboy star to AFL player, exciting midfielder Tomas Bugg reflects on his journey to becoming a Giant.

Instead of spending 2011 in Blacktown with the rest of the Giants squad, Bugg chose to finish his VCE in Melbourne before heading to Sydney.

"It was a pretty big decision and it meant missing out on the things that the other 17-year-olds got," Bugg said.

"But I loved last year."