The AFL are about to announce the penalties to come out of their long-running tanking investigation into Melbourne’s 2009 season.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou and acting football operations manager Gill McLachlan will hold a media conference at 2pm (AEDT) on Tuesday at league headquarters.

There have been reports since Friday that the Demons will be fined $500,000, but will not lose any draft picks.

Former Melbourne coach Dean Bailey, now an assistant at Adelaide, and ex-Demons football operations manager Chris Connolly could receive suspensions.

The Demons have been in negotiations with the AFL over what penalties should come out of the league’s investigation.

Melbourne are alleged to have deliberately lost games late in the 2009 season to maximise their draft picks.

Also on Tuesday, the wife of revered former Melbourne president Jim Stynes defended her late husband.

Stynes, who died nearly a year ago, was president during the 2009 season.

There has been debate about whether Stynes knew about the tanking, but Sam Stynes said she did not think the saga would tarnish his reputation.

She said Stynes, who battled cancer, was gravely ill in 2009.

“He wasn’t working 24/7 in the club, he did the odd thing when he was needed and he didn’t know what was going on all the time,” Sam Stynes told Fairfax radio.

“He was gravely ill, it’s not like he had a cold, he was fighting for his life and he had other more important issues that he was focusing on.”

She said she had received great support during the AFL’s six-month investigation.

“At the end of the day I don’t think it’s going to tarnish his reputation, I’ve had tremendous support from people who just say .. they’re sick of hearing about it six months on.”

Sam Stynes said she wished her husband was here to speak for himself, but in his absence, she was backing him.

“He’s gone, I just want him to be able to rest in peace.”