Nathan Bock was conspicuously absent from the Adelaide Football Club on Tuesday as he began the process of correcting his behaviour and reputation while the Crows get on with the task of trying to beat Fremantle this week.

Freed up from training to make arrangements for his counselling and community service obligations, Bock will have plenty of time to ponder the consequences of his charge for assaulting girlfriend Carlie Matthews, and the fact that his career will be at an end should he transgress again.

Crows captain Simon Goodwin followed up on the strong words of chief executive Steven Trigg and coach Neil Craig in condemning Bock's behaviour last Saturday night, and backed their view that the All-Australian centre-half back was one more misdemeanour away from a dishonourable discharge from the football club.

"He's tarnished the image of the Adelaide Football Club and the AFL and the game in general," Goodwin said on Tuesday.

"I'm sure Nathan is well aware of that. It has a big impact on all those areas and that's why we've taken the action we have.

"If he's not able to change his behaviour and there is a repeat offence, then he does put his career seriously in jeopardy, not only at this club but I would think throughout the whole AFL.

"Eventually, if you're going to continue behaving like that, you'll behave yourself out of your career."

Goodwin described Bock as being "shattered" by his actions and their fallout, and said he would not have been mentally right to play against the Dockers on Sunday even if he wanted to.

It is clear Bock may need to spend quite some time away from playing football while he goes through rehab and also works through his relationship with Matthews, tensions from which were laid painfully bare at the General Havelock Hotel in Adelaide on Saturday night.

"He's going to take a bit of time to pick himself up and that will take some time, and how long that takes is purely up to Nathan," said Goodwin.

"We want to get Nathan assessed, make sure his mental state is as best it can be, and we want to make sure he's putting steps in place with his counselling and rehab and he's been given some time away from the club to do that.

"He's not in any sort of capability of playing even if he wanted to this week in the current situation he's in, so we'll give him as much time as he needs."

Part of Bock's education will be the investment of 50 hours' community service at the Domestic Violence Crisis Centre.

Crows football operations manager John Reid clarified the arrangement after numerous women expressed concern about the thought of "plonking" a footballer into the middle of an environment where victims were trying to escape the spectre of male violence.

"They'll be meeting with ourselves and Nathan and work to establish what is the best way they can use him to help them and also to help Nathan," he said.

"It's not just the women in domestic violence, it's very often the kids, so Nathan again could be very helpful in those areas.

"So it'll be a good learning exercise for him, and very good for the crisis centre, and the money (from Bock's $5,000 fine) will go to the centre."

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