North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson is stepping away from football indefinitely amid emotional and physical wellbeing concerns.

A statement from North Melbourne on Thursday said Clarkson has felt a significant "burden" of ongoing investigations into alleged racism at Hawthorn during the coach's tenure at the Hawks.

His break away from duties at the Kangaroos is effective immediately.

"The club is providing its full support to Alastair and we commend him for making this important decision to put his health first," North Melbourne president Dr Sonja Hood said.

"Everyone involved has been deeply affected by the Hawthorn investigation and the burden on Alastair has been significant.

"We will give Alastair whatever time he needs to restore his health and look forward to welcoming him back when he is fully fit.

"We have strong leaders at our club who will step up and support and coach our team while Alastair spends time focusing on his health."

Last week, Clarkson unloaded at a press conference amid heightened publicity regarding the months-long investigations of the Hawks.

The 55-year-old called Hawthorn's governance and conduct throughout the saga "shameful" and was critical of the drawn out process by the overseeing independent investigation panel.

Current Brisbane coach Chris Fagan, who was assistant coach under Clarkson at Hawthorn during the period being investigated, has similarly expressed criticism of the probe in recent weeks.

The pair, along with former Hawthorn player development manager Jason Burt, have all denied any wrongdoing.

Ahead of North's announcement on Thursday, Fagan again stood firm on his innocence.

"I know I'm not guilty of racism or cultural insensitivity, so that's where I stand," Fagan told reporters.

North Melbourne assistant and former senior AFL coach Brett Ratten will step into Clarkson's role ahead of their Sir Doug Nicholls Round clash with Sydney on Saturday.