For several days now we have watched person after person condemn Geelong footballer Steven Motlop for breaking team rules by drinking alcohol three days before a match.

Geelong suspended Motlop for a game to much acclaim from many who said his conduct was unbecoming of a professional footballer and deserved such punishment.

Fair enough.

When questioned on the Motlop issue on The Footy Show, Geelong captain Joel Selwood made the allegation team-mate Mitch Clark had been 'sledged' during the match over a battle with depression.

It's important to acknowledge the Hawthorn player named as responsible has vehemently denied the claim but to find that out you would have to do a fair amount of searching.

While everyone was prepared to condemn Motlop, the line to question the allegations made about sledging someone over a battle with mental illness was decidedly smaller.

Right there is the battle faced in changing community attitudes to mental health - it's a topic people just don't want to engage with.

It's extremely disturbing that anyone would see fit to make light of another person's battle with depression.

The AFL's stance that it won't investigate these claims without 'a complaint' also sends the wrong message.

This is serious and the AFL should have launched an immediate investigation to find out whether these comments were made.

Such action would display the right attitude to mental health and highlight such belittling of something as serious as depression is not acceptable.

If the Hawthorn player did not make these comments then he deserves to have his named cleared.

If he did then he deserves a punishment that leaves no one in any doubt taunting someone over mental health issues is seriously off limits. 

In this case the hysteria around which person actually acted badly is sadly misplaced.