Luke Hodge is set to miss three weeks, after pleading guilty to striking Andrew Swallow of North Melbourne on Saturday night.
Hodge was referred directly to the AFL tribunal, following the ugly incident in the first quarter of the Hawks' clash with the Kangaroos at Etihad Stadium.
The Hawthorn skipper described the incident as a mistake, and said that he had apologised to Swallow, and North's coach Brad Scott following the match.
"I was aiming for his chest," Hodge said of the incident.
AFL counsel Jeff Gleeson was not forgiving of Hodge's actions, saying that the elbow was, "thrown with considerable force," and in an, "upward motion," and noted that Swallow was lucky to not be injured in the incident.
Earlier, Hawthorn co-captain Jordan Lewis accepted a two-match ban, following his strike on North Melbourne big man Todd Goldstein.
The Lewis incident was graded as careless conduct and high impact.
Lewis' previous poor record counted against him, and he stated that he was disappointed with his actions.
"I've let myself down, but I've just got to move on," Lewis said.
The Hawks travel to Sydney this week, to take on the Giants on Saturday evening.
Hawks' Headache: Hodge to miss three weeks, Lewis misses two
