With their season in jeopardy the Adelaide Crows have ended their relationship with the performance training group Collective Mind. Today in front of media coach Don Pyke and head of football Brett Burton announced the end of the club’s association with Collective Mind which ran headline-making camp earlier in year. The pre-season camp first came to the attention of the public when its questionable psychological aspects like blindfolding and intentionally disorienting players on long bus trips and submitting them to repeat listens of the Richmond theme song leaked.
"In the last 24 hours, we've mutually agreed to part ways. Clearly we had some good impact with the program last year, but this year hasn't gone the way we wanted it to," – Burton on Collective Mind #weflyasone
— Adelaide Crows (@Adelaide_FC) June 23, 2018
The coach and his captain, Taylor Walker, had defended the camp earlier in the year which Pyke said “brought a sense of togetherness, brought a sense of vulnerability and allowed them to actually work on that space to make them better players”. Walker also had high praise for Collective Mind stating “That camp was one of the most beneficial and rewarding I have been on and advise any of my best mates or family members to do the same thing”. Walker allegedly group messaged his players in an attempt to find who was responsible for the leak.
Brett Burton says he doesn't want to go into detail about what happened on the camp. He says they made the 'mutual decision' to split with 'Collective Minds' in the past 24 hours.
— Matt Thompson (@MattThompson) June 23, 2018
The spotlight came back onto the group when SEN Breakfast co-host and Channel 7 reporter Sam McClure reported earlier this month that the Crow’s star forward, Eddie Betts, was left traumatised by “unthinkable” treatment during the camp and claimed that it affected his early season form wherein he only managed three goals in his first four games.
“What happened on that camp is unthinkable that they would do that to anyone." @sam_mcclure has breaking news on the "unfathomable" situation that has Eddie Betts unhappy at Adelaide | https://t.co/qWq6GadfAa | #AFL pic.twitter.com/0Vm0qfNTqB
— SEN 1116 (@1116sen) June 12, 2018
Betts denied those claims saying: “At times when I was going into the footy club it had nothing to do with the camp, it was more so my body. I felt why am I playing, why am I putting myself through this — because my body feels like it’s not holding up.” Though inferences remained that Betts and other Indigenous Crows players had found the camp culturally offensive. Pyke denied these claims again today in his media statements.
"On the camp, we had a Welcome to Country. There was an Indigenous artefact that was used, we sought clarity and within 72 hours that was dealt with. There was no lingering issues from the Indigenous guys on that," – Burton on reports on the Indigenous issues #weflyasone
— Adelaide Crows (@Adelaide_FC) June 23, 2018
Pressure has only built on the Crows as their injuries have mounted, they have lost their last four games and now sit 11th on the ladder after finishing as minor premiers in 2017. The Crows take on Eagles next week and in positive news coach Pyke excepts star half back Rory Laird and link-man Tom Lynch to be inclusions from injury.
