Smith was already provisionally suspended after testing positive to cocaine in a random drug test from the integrity body after Melbourne’s round 23 game against Hawthorn.
Gawn said he was restricted in what he could say about the Smith case because of the ongoing investigation,but he moved to reassure supporters that the club was responsibly addressing each issue as they arose.
“I am not going to hide from the fact that allegations have been made towards our culture,and it is something that we talk about,” Gawn said.
“I am not going to go into certain references but in terms of the whole picture we look at it to see if we are doing things the right way or[could] do better.
“I don’t think you can say,‘Just shut out all the noise and focus on the footy’ … I certainly listen to everything and make sure I am a better leader and better captain for it.”
Gawn said he was prepared to read the riot act to players or the group if unacceptable behaviour occurred and he was also happy to give someone a cuddle if that was needed to keep them on track. What he wasn’t doing was disregarding issues as irrelevant.