Jump to content

Hawks racism allegations (merged thread)

Demonland
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

18 minutes ago, Mr Steve said:

AFL have stepped in now.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/847490/-incredibly-serious-afl-to-probe-hawks-treatment-of-indigenous-players

I hate that they refer to these allegations as 'historical'.

There is nothing historical about it. It happened not that long ago, and basically everyone involved at the club at the time is still heavily involved in the AFL. 

 

  • Quote
    • Like 5
     
    55 minutes ago, djr said:

    Bolt will be pushing the George Pell defence and Rita will be shouting that its wokeism gone mad.

    And wait for cancel culture to come out too. Left wing agendas etc etc.

    Clarko and Fages have been cancelled.

    I wonder how that'll intersect with the HS' Chief of Football's article. They'll probably call it "balance".

    Edited by A F

  • Quote
    • Like 2
    2 minutes ago, Return to Glory said:

    Somewhat laughable  that he headed up Beyond Blue BBO.

    Also (and this may already have been said), how many actual football journalists are there that aren't completely compromised. Russell Jack appears to be the one of the only journalists with the balls to report anything not AFL approved.

     

    That was a bloody joke right from the start RTG.  I remember at the time someone saying how appropriate the appointment was because his actions as Premier caused so much depression.

  • Quote
    • Like 4
     

    This is perhaps the most disturbing story I have ever read with regards to mistreatment of indigenous AFL players, and is, at the very least, equaled only by Essendon injecting unknown substances into their players. 

    The ghosts of the Stolen Generation and decades of intergenerational trauma are hovering over this, and it is incredible to think that how far Australia has to go on these matters. Remember, the separation of individuals from their families 'for their own good' was one of the darkest periods in Australia's history, and I cannot but think about that when reading today's article. 

    Unfortunately, as the AFL and associated parties move down the investigation track, the result is likely to be a transformation of these experiences into legal arguments and technicalities of blame/responsibility, rather than fundamentally addressing the experiences of these indigenous players and their families, and the meaning of this event for wider society. The focus needs to remain on these experiences, not the percentage of accuracy of claims, as what it is what these experiences mean to the victims that are most important, especially given the history of First Nations people in Australia. 

    This is not a sad day for the AFL, as I have read on Twitter. The AFL must be better, and should have ensured these attitudes and behaviours hold no place within the institution a long time ago.
    This has been a horrific and traumatic time for those victimised, and is a sad day for all First Nations people.

  • Quote
    • Like 6
    • Thanks 2
    7 minutes ago, Return to Glory said:

    Somewhat laughable that he headed up Beyond Blue BBO.

     

    I would probably leave that well alone. I have no time for Jeff Kennett, but am aware that there are a significant mental health issues within his broader family.

  • Quote
    • Thanks 1

    24 minutes ago, layzie said:

    I'd be getting on a plane pretty quick if I were him.

    I would stay longer!

  • Quote
    • Haha 3
    6 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

    I hate that they refer to these allegations as 'historical'.

    There is nothing historical about it. It happened not that long ago, and basically everyone involved at the club at the time is still heavily involved in the AFL. 

     

    It's historical because they, the AFL, were so bloody slow getting on top of it.

  • Quote

    Essendrug might have lucked in with this one. Poor North if it was raining soup they would be standing there with a fork!

    Edited by old dee

  • Quote
    • Haha 9
     
    12 minutes ago, old dee said:

    I would stay longer!

    7 minutes ago, old dee said:

    Essendrug might have lucked in with this one. Poor North if it was raining soup they would be standing there with a fork!

    🔥🔥🔥

  • Quote

    I can't help but feel for North.

    Poor buggers thought they had a chance to right the ship and now they likely won't have a coach and all those who requested trades based on the coach may now lose interest.

    We could end up with Brisbane, North (& Essendon) without coaches and very little time to get people in or re-start a process.

    There are huge consequences to this report across the entire league. There would be a lot of very nervous people in the AFL today!

     

    Edited by BW511

  • Quote
    • Like 3

    12 minutes ago, old dee said:

    I would stay longer!

    A tempting thought. However if I was a club president worth my salt who usually never has an issue speaking on myriad of issues not concerning me I'd be back in Aus pretty quick to face the music. You know, double standards and stuff. 

  • Quote
    • Like 1

     BREAKING: In a statement, the Lions have confirmed the club and Chris Fagan have 'mutually agreed' he take a leave absence as he cooperates with the AFL investigation into the Hawthorn allegations.

  • Quote
    • Like 4
    • Shocked 1
    1 hour ago, Stiff Arm said:

    Surely they must have some sort of behavioural exit clause in their contract? Demonland lawyers on here know what are likely standard inclusions? 

    I don't practice in sports law but have done a few sports sponsorship contracts...  My understanding is that contracts with players generally have 'notifiable conduct' clauses which provide processes for managing behaviour that brings clubs/the game/sponsors into disrepute (or is likely to do so) + eventually leads to termination of contracts / fines etc.  It wouldn't be surprising for similar clauses to be in the employment of coaches (indeed, a lot of employment contracts have behaviour clauses anyway). 

    Depends on bargaining power a lot of the time between the parties as to how severe the contractual consequences may be.  Even if there is not an express clause dealing with it, it might be argued as a material breach of the employment contract depending on how the standards for provision of services and the like are drafted.

    Edited by DeelightfulPlay
    Space between paragraphs

  • Quote

    I don’t know about the rest of you, but after the initial shock and disgust, my head went to ‘how many other clubs have had this mindset and for how long?’

    Devaluing indigenous people is not new, it’s widespread across institutions and how prevalent it is/was may dictate what penalties occur because maybe we would casting a great deal of people out into the ether…

    Such a shame we are here still.

  • Quote
    • Like 6
    • Sad 3

    Hird got 12 months for conduct unbecoming.

    … just something to think about.

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    1 minute ago, rpfc said:

    I don’t know about the rest of you, but after the initial shock and disgust, my head went to ‘how many other clubs have had this mindset and for how long?’

    Devaluing indigenous people is not new, it’s widespread across institutions and how prevalent it is/was may dictate what penalties occur because maybe we would casting a great deal of people out into the ether…

    Such a shame we are here still.

    Same 'rp'...I wonder how our club has fared over the years.

    Maybe having Jetta and Whelan, strong characters  has helped us but...who knows.

    AFL HQ can drop their collectives heads in shame as well.

    ...as for the integrity unit. Please, give men a break...a lot of good they did Eddie Betts.

    Gill's disgusting silence on Goodes & McGuire...the list goes on.

  • Quote
    • Like 3

    It now makes sense why rioli retired so young. 

    Hill left that club to as did buddy. 

    Gosh I hope we are clean at our club

  • Quote
    • Like 9
    53 minutes ago, CYB said:

    But it’s slander if unable to be substantiated.

     

    Slander by who? The ABC?

     

  • Quote
    3 minutes ago, rpfc said:

    I don’t know about the rest of you, but after the initial shock and disgust, my head went to ‘how many other clubs have had this mindset and for how long?’

    Devaluing indigenous people is not new, it’s widespread across institutions and how prevalent it is/was may dictate what penalties occur because maybe we would casting a great deal of people out into the ether…

    Such a shame we are here still.

    Agree. This isn't a 'let's all laugh at Hawthorn' situation. This could set off a chain reaction and other clubs may not be clean. Either way the ramifications will be widespread across the league and there will be some a very hard look at what clubs need to be doing a lot better. It does make you wonder if this is actually the first time this has happened. 

  • Quote
    • Like 3

    1 hour ago, Jaded No More said:

    There is surely a mountain of evidence here. Why would Hawthorn themselves launch an investigation into their own culture if they didn't think anything was wrong? 

    But did they expect to find this?

  • Quote
    22 minutes ago, Cam Schwab's Whiteboard said:

    This is perhaps the most disturbing story I have ever read with regards to mistreatment of indigenous AFL players, and is, at the very least, equaled only by Essendon injecting unknown substances into their players.

    No. This is far more serious than the Essendon drug saga.

    And furthermore, it shouldn't be politicised by relating the issue to "cancel culture".

    If an investigation verifies these allegations then it's absolutely one of the worst scandals in the history of our game. 

    I was fortunate enough to meet the then Pastor Doug Nicholls, one of our first Indigenous footballers when I was at school in the early 60s and he told us of his experiences when he first came to play at Carlton and was treated as sub human. We should accept no excuses for that conduct even if it happened in the late 1920s but today, it borders on criminal. Anyone connected with this has no place in the game.

  • Quote
    • Like 14
    • Love 2
    41 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

    Do you really think that anyone, let alone reputable journalists at a reputable publication, would release this stuff without any proof?

    And do you really think Hawthorn would launch an investigation into past behaviours themselves, if they didn't suspect bad behaviour? You don't burn your own house down for no reason. 

    Yes. The proof is as far as I know circumstantial.

    Don’t get me wrong - if they are guilty, then they deserve the full weight of what’s coming to them. But equally, if they are not or it is not undeniable in proof, then it is slander and has caused irreparable damage to arguably the best coach in AFL history. 

  • Quote
    • Like 1
     
    47 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

     

    I’m a little skeptical of some of the details. It might well have been that some players used the club as a defence for their desire to break up. Then found themselves delisted and went back to their old relationships and put the blame on the club. I know that’s pretty cynical but don’t tell me it’s implausible.

     

    Only you could write such a Paragraph…

    Unbelievable

  • Quote
    • Like 7
    • Thanks 3

    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

    Guest
    Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
    Reply to this topic...
    Go to topic listing

    Featured Content

    • PREVIEW: Gold Coast

      The Gold Coast Suns find themselves outside of the top eight for the first time since Round 1 with pressure is mounting on the entire organisation. Their coach Damien Hardwick expressed his frustration at his team’s condition last week by making a middle-finger gesture on television that earned him a fine for his troubles. He showed his desperation by claiming that Fox should pick up the tab.  There’s little doubt the Suns have shown improvement in 2025, and their position on the ladder is influenced to some extent by having played fewer games than their rivals for a playoff role at the end of the season, courtesy of the disruption caused by Cyclone Alfred in March.  However, they are following the same trajectory that hindered the club in past years whenever they appeared to be nearing their potential. As a consequence, that Hardwick gesture should be considered as more than a mere behavioral lapse. It’s a distress signal that does not bode well for the Queenslanders. While the Suns are eager to remain in contention with the top eight, Melbourne faces its own crisis, which is similarly deep-seated but in a much different way. After recovering from a disappointing start to the season and nearing a return to respectability among its peer clubs, the Demons have experienced a decline in status, driven by the fact that while their form has been reasonable (see their performance against the ladder leader in the Kings Birthday match), their conversion in front of goal is poor enough to rank last in the competition. Furthermore, their opponents find them exceptionally easy to score against. As a result, they have effectively eliminated themselves from the finals race and are again positioned to finish in the bottom half of the ladder.

      • 3 replies
      Demonland

    • NON-MFC: Round 15

      As the Demons head into their Bye Round, it's time to turn our attention to the other matches being played. Which teams are you tipping this week? And which results would be most favourable for the Demons if we can manage to turn our season around? Follow all the non-Melbourne games here and join the conversation as the ladder continues to take shape.

        • Clap
      • 276 replies
      Demonland

    • REPORT: Port Adelaide

      Of course, it’s not the backline, you might argue and you would probably be right. It’s the boot studder (do they still have them?), the midfield, the recruiting staff, the forward line, the kicking coach, the Board, the interchange bench, the supporters, the folk at Casey, the head coach and the club psychologist  It’s all of them and all of us for having expectations that were sufficiently high to have believed three weeks ago that a restoration of the Melbourne team to a position where we might still be in contention for a finals berth when the time for the midseason bye arrived. Now let’s look at what happened over the period of time since Melbourne overwhelmed the Sydney Swans at the MCG in late May when it kicked 8.2 to 5.3 in the final quarter (and that was after scoring 3.8 to two straight goals in the second term). 

        • Like
      • 3 replies
      Demonland

    • CASEY: Essendon

      Casey’s unbeaten run was extended for at least another fortnight after the Demons overran a persistent Essendon line up by 29 points at ETU Stadium in Port Melbourne last night. After conceding the first goal of the evening, Casey went on a scoring spree from about ten minutes in, with five unanswered majors with its fleet of midsized runners headed by the much improved Paddy Cross who kicked two in quick succession and livewire Ricky Mentha who also kicked an early goal. Leading the charge was recruit of the year, Riley Bonner while Bailey Laurie continued his impressive vein of form. With Tom Campbell missing from the lineup, Will Verrall stepped up to the plate demonstrating his improvement under the veteran ruckman’s tutelage. The Demons were looking comfortable for much of the second quarter and held a 25-point lead until the Bombers struck back with two goals in the shadows of half time. On the other side of the main break their revival continued with first three goals of the half. Harry Sharp, who had been quiet scrambled in the Demons’ first score of the third term to bring the margin back to a single point at the 17 minute mark and the game became an arm-wrestle for the remainder of the quarter and into the final moments of the last.

      • 0 replies
      Demonland

    • PREGAME: Gold Coast

      The Demons have the Bye next week but then are on the road once again when they come up against the Gold Coast Suns on the Gold Coast in what could be a last ditch effort to salvage their season. Who comes in and who comes out?

        • Haha
      • 155 replies
      Demonland

    • PODCAST: Port Adelaide

      The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 16th June @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we dissect the Dees disappointing loss to the Power.
      Your questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show.
      Listen LIVE: https://demonland.com/

        • Sad
        • Thanks
      • 33 replies
      Demonland
    View All