Veteran forward Barry Hall has resolved weeks of speculation about his future by announcing he's quit the Sydney Swans.
With the club's coaching staff and playing list watching on, Hall told a media conference at the Swans' headquarters on Tuesday afternoon that he was handing in his resignation because he could no longer trust himself to control his temper on the field.
"I can't promise whether there's going to be another indiscretion again - I can't explain the last indiscretion - so I think there's a real risk if I do go on that things will turn really ugly," said Hall.
"If anything happened again it could be catastrophic and it would be hard to peg back ... so I'm walking away from the game today."
"It's a sad day for me but I'm pretty content with my decision."
"It certainly wasn't an easy decision, but I think looking at the big picture it was the right thing to do in terms of the football club, my team-mates, my family, my partner, my friends and myself."
"The easiest thing to do would have been to play on because I think I'm still in pretty good form."
The 32-year-old lost the trust of his team-mates and the Sydney coaching staff for his erratic on-field behaviour which culminated in a two-match suspension for planting a left hook onto the jaw of Adelaide defender Ben Rutten at AAMI Stadium in Round 13 which also happened to be Hall's 250th AFL match.
Only a fortnight earlier Hall pledged to stay focused and disciplined for the remainder of the season after losing his cool and conceding three consecutive 50-metre penalties against Hawthorn which effectively cost the Swans the match.
Hall has missed 26 matches through his AFL career because of suspension including a seven-match penalty for his infamous king hit on West Coast's Brent Staker last season.
He said he would be taking a short holiday to contemplate his next step which may include a boxing career that he agrees he's probably more temperamentally suited to.
Hall didn't entirely rule out the prospect of continuing his AFL career with a rival club but said, "I would find it tough to play against the Sydney Swans."
"I've been a part of this club for eight years and it would be tough to run out against them."
"Football for now is probably not a priority."
Senior coach Paul Roos, who urged Hall to reconsider his future after the run-in with Rutten, said it was a sad day for the club.
"One of our greatest ever players has decided to retire, but I also think it must be a time of celebration to reflect on what has been an outstanding career," said Roos who was seated beside Hall at the media conference.
"Whatever happened happened and that's just water under bridge for us - he's made a courageous decision today."
"As his coach for the last six years I will remember Hall as one of the genuine superstars of the game and his ability to be a match winner enabled him to take us to the level of the 2005 Premiership."
"What we also get to see that many others don’t is the Barry Hall off the field."
"He is one of the most likeable and easygoing characters that I have come across."
"This, despite the number of ups and downs in his career, has enabled him to remain one of the most popular figures amongst teammates and coaches," said Roos who warmly embraced Hall when the conference was over.
Recruited from St Kilda in 2001, 'Big Bad Bustling Barry Hall' led the Swans' goalkicking in every one of his seven seasons up until this year.
He won the club best-and-fairest in 2004, was a three-time All Australian and had the honour of holding the AFL premiership cup aloft with Roos after the Swans' historic four-point grand final victory in 2005.