St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt is wary of returning to his old club, saying there are landmines in the AFL industry to consider.

Riewoldt points to Carlton board member Chris Judd, who has been in trouble for saying that they did not want a coach with “training wheels”.

That was interpreted as ruling out Blues caretaker coach David Teague and the backlash has had Judd reconsidering his media commitments.

Like Judd, Riewoldt is a high-profile AFL commentator and he is unsure about whether he will go back to the Saints in the wake of coach Alan Richardson’s departure.

“We’ve had a pretty good cautionary tale this week with Chris Judd,” Riewoldt told AFL360.

“I haven’t really thought about it — there’s plenty of landmines to navigate.”

Riewoldt has not had an official role at St Kilda since ending his legendary playing career in 2017.

He praised Richardson but also backed the timing of his departure, saying the Saints are impatient for their second premiership.

Meanwhile, the outgoing coach has again shown his class by writing a letter to members, thanking them for their support.

The letter was posted on the club website only a few hours after Richardson held an wide-ranging media conference to talk about the end of his six-year tenure as Saints coach.

“Stepping aside immediately allows the club to move on with the planning for next year without any distraction regarding my position,” Richardson said in his letter.

“I am disappointed that we haven’t been able to deliver the success you deserve, but I know the club is now better placed than ever for the future.

“Don’t ever underestimate the enormous impact your passion has on our players, and I encourage you to get behind the red, white and black for the remainder of this season and beyond.”