Carlton chief executive Greg Swann has confirmed captain Lance Whitnall had played his last game for the AFL club.
Swann said a medical report convinced the Blues the 28-year-old Whitnall's troublesome knee would not stand up to another AFL season.
"What we've said is we think that his capacity to play is limited because of his knee," Swann told Southern Cross Radio.
"Lance is not convinced about that."
Swann said the Blues were not prepared to nurse Whitnall, who had post-season knee surgery, through a "compromised" pre-season campaign.
"In this day and age you have to be a hundred per cent to be able to do everything or otherwise you just get left behind," Swann said.
Swann said new coach Brett Ratten and football manager Stephen Icke met Whitnall on Friday to "run through a few scenarios", which could include retirement, continuing his career via the pre-season draft or taking up an off-field role at Carlton.
"Lance is going away and have a bit of a think about it. He may well decide that he can keep on going and, you know, chase a career elsewhere or he might retire," Swann said.
"There's some options still to remain at the club in a different capacity."
Knee problems, which Whitnall's agent Ricky Nixon described as a "bone-on-bone" issue, restricted him to just 15 games this year.
But Nixon did not think his client's knee condition was career-ending.
"Everyone's known that Lance has had bone-on-bone for probably four of five years," Nixon told Southern Cross Radio.
"But a lot of players play with it. (St Kilda's) Nick Riewoldt has had bone-on-bone since year one in the AFL. Some people are able to cope with it, some have it worse et cetera.
"It is a very, very disappointing decision.
"At the moment he's got to face up to the reality (that) he probably won't be at Carlton."
He also blasted Carlton for leaving it until after the trade period before showing Whitnall the door and blaming it on his knee, potentially compromising his chances in the pre-season draft.
"Carlton have prejudiced that now haven't they by coming out and saying that he's got a medical condition that doesn't allow him to train or play. Who's going to buy the used car? Anyone?" Nixon said.
"They (Carlton) are still the best leakers in the AFL aren't they, so they've got a bit of improvement in that area to do."
Whitnall, who was made skipper this year, has racked up 216 games and 348 goals for the Blues since his debut in 1997.
He won Carlton's best-and-fairest award last year and was also an All-Australian in 2000.