The AFL will hit new Brisbane star forward Brendan Fevola with a long suspension if he is found to have sexually assaulted a woman on Brownlow Medal night.

AFL football manager Adrian Anderson says the league has encouraged the female journalist who is the subject of the allegations made against the Coleman Medallist to come forward.

But he said so far she had been unwilling to do so, with the AFL's ability to take the case further in her hands.

"We take the allegations about Brendan Fevola extremely seriously," Anderson told reporters in Adelaide.

"We've spoken to the woman concerned. We're ready, willing and able to take further action as soon as she would like to talk to us.

"At this stage, the woman concerned doesn't wish to talk to us.

"We've provided assistance in the form of support and counselling, but we're in her hands at the moment.

"If we find a player has sexually assaulted a female we'll have no hesitation in suspending that player and giving them a decent holiday.

"We've encouraged her to come forward. It's always a delicate situation, but we'd like to talk to her."

Fevola has made several public apologies for his drunken behaviour on Brownlow night on September 21, which he has admitted was "absolutely disgusting".

It is understood he also set up a meeting with the journalist at the centre of the allegations, in which he asked her to accept an apology.

His activities that night were the catalyst for his former club Carlton's decision to trade him away, despite having led their goal-kicking for a seventh straight season in 2009.

The club completed a trade to the Lions last Friday.

Brisbane were aware of the allegations against him when they agreed to the trade.

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