Disgraced ex-Roo Tarryn Thomas' hopes of footy return extinguished

Tarryn Thomas' return to the football field will not come with the Northern Bullants VFL club.

In a board meeting on Sunday night, the club elected against adding the disgraced ex-North Melbourne midfielder to its list.

"We wish Tarryn all the best with his future," the club said in a statement released on Monday.

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Thomas was banned from playing football at all levels last February after he was found guilty of conduct unbecoming by the AFL Integrity Unit, who ruled he'd "engaged in multiple acts of misconduct including threatening a woman via direct messages multiple times".

He was then sacked by North Melbourne.

But last week, the AFL ruled he would be allowed to sign with a VFL club not affiliated with the AFL.

The Bullants were the only club not to immediately rule out signing Thomas.

General manager Darren Bassett told The Age the club's head coach and administration were interested in his signature, but only with approval of the board and club's sponsors.

Thomas would have been a boost to playing stocks of the struggling Bullants, who have won only eight matches in the past four seasons and been anchored to the bottom of the ladder.

Thomas is also barred from being recruited at this year's mid-season draft, meaning there's no way of him returning to top-flight footy prior to 2026.