Statements out of North Melbourne continued today.
This time it was over a recent incident between Alastair Clarkson, the head coach of North Melbourne, and a female reporter from Channel 9 which has prompted mediation between the two parties.
On February 1st, as the media parked themselves outside Arden Street to cover allegations of Tarryn Thomas threatening and intimidating multiple women, Clarkson made a threatening remark to reporter Elisabeth Moss. He told her “your time will come,” which was eerily similar to the comments Thomas had allegedly made in a series of threatening text messages to women.
Moss reported the incident to her superiors at Channel 9, leading to a meeting between her and Clarkson at the network’s Docklands offices. During the meeting, Clarkson apologized for his behaviour and expressed remorse for his actions. In response, letters were exchanged, and a formal apology was issued by North Melbourne in writing.
According to SEN, the media organisation were favoured with an exclusive statement in which Clarkson stated that his outburst was an attempt to “protect our players and staff” from being “actively targeted” by media.
The matter has now been considered closed by Nine and North Melbourne.
Clarkson has continued his coaching duties as he remains under investigation over accusations of historical racism at Hawthorn Football Club.
Clarkson’s statement:
“I was involved in an incident with a Channel Nine News reporter on the day the news broke about the allegations against Tarryn Thomas.
“There was a significant media pack at the club that day who were actively targeting players, staff and coaches throughout the session and my reaction was to protect our players and staff.
“To my great regret, I overreacted to the Nine News reporter and made one comment to her along the lines of ‘your time will come’. That comment was in reference to facing intense scrutiny when you’re in the public eye and how challenging that can be.
“When I was made aware of the impact of my comment, I sought to apologise immediately to the reporter not realising how my words could have been perceived. I also opted to make that apology in person rather than by phone, in the presence of the reporter and two of her senior colleagues at Channel Nine headquarters later that day. The journalist accepted my apology and we agreed to move forward.” – Alastair Clarkson
