Coach Alastair Clarkson IV - HFC Racism Investigation Discussion

[Caracas]

The way things are ramping up around here, I’m half expecting Ligma’s orangutan to make a reappearance.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

The way things are ramping up around here, I’m half expecting Ligma’s orangutan to make a reappearance.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[giantroo]

 

[DuckYeah]

Everyone loves the bloke.

 

[Caracas]

Get that guy to introduce the Gameday thread this week.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Makeshift Park]

No such luck, Dimma.

 

[R00StaR]

The worst part is the people advising claimants have handed right wing dickheads an absolute freebie.

If defending people who dont get due process before people destroy their lives is being a right wing dickhead then ill gladly be one.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

If defending people who dont get due process before people destroy their lives is being a right wing dickhead then ill gladly be one.

You know that’s not it.

 

[Makeshift Park]

Inside footy’s biggest – and messiest – racism scandal: The leak, panel and 240 days that broke Alastair Clarkson​

Footy’s biggest – and messiest – racism scandal exploded again this week. How did it get to this point? Go inside the reports, leaks, emails and meetings behind the Hawthorn racism saga.

Michael Warner

Spoiler: Article body

May 19, 2023 - 12:00PM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/.../ec351b9225101f502caf8e1f06011aac#share-tools


The fuse for footy’s biggest – and messiest – racism scandal was lit on April 2 last year.
Cyril Rioli, four years retired, and wife Shannyn went public with claims of racist incidents they said had fractured their relationship with the Hawthorn Football Club.
The headline allegation was that president Jeff Kennett had ridiculed Shannyn during a 2018 exchange at Launceston Airport where he commented on her ripped designer jeans – and offered some loose change to help sew them up.
The Riolis detailed a second incident during an end-of-season trip to Bali in 2013 where an unnamed senior Hawks player asked teammates whether the partner of one of his Indigenous teammates was “also a boong”.
Michael Long, Rioli’s uncle, spoke up a few days after the allegations were aired, declaring that his nephew had lost his way and needed help.
But Hawthorn – and Kennett- took the claims seriously.
A board meeting was convened on April 8 where the club’s directors agreed to commission a review into the treatment of past and current indigenous players.
A sub-committee of Hawthorn’s people and culture committee, chaired by board member Ian Silk, explored options for the review before former Richmond player and indigenous consultant Phil Egan was appointed to lead the process on May 19.

Alastair Clarkson and Chris Fagan while at the Hawks in 2014. Picture: AFL Media

The Egan review was hardly a secret within the football industry.
In August, the club publicly confirmed it had “engaged external First Nations experts to communicate and engage with former players and staff” in the wake of the Rioli allegations.
On September 2, Egan advised Hawthorn chief executive Justin Reeves that he was in the process of finalising his review.
Two days later, he emailed Reeves a draft version of his report, which was presented to the Hawthorn board at Kennett’s Cremorne office on the morning of September 4.
The board was “shocked” and “horrified” by the findings and agreed that the report needed to be handed to the AFL integrity unit.
On the afternoon of Wednesday, September 7, Reeves received Egan’s final report by email, which was distributed to Hawthorn board members with protected passwords at 4.18pm and just before 9am on September 8 – barely 17 hours after the club had formally received the report – acting-president Peter Nankivell contacted AFL general counsel Andrew Dillon and advised of a matter the club wished to refer to the AFL integrity department regarding First Nations players.
A meeting between the AFL and Hawthorn was scheduled for the morning of September 13 but on Sunday, September 11 the AFL informed the Hawks there was “a lot of chatter” surrounding the club.
That evening, Dillon drove to Reeves’ home in Richmond where he read a copy of Egan’s “Cultural Safety Review”.
Two days later, in the CBD office of Hawthorn’s law firm, Dillon and AFL integrity unit head Tony Keane met with club officials and were handed an envelope containing the full and unredacted version of the Egan report.

Alastair Clarkson stepped away from coaching this week to focus on his mental health. Picture: Getty Images

Hawthorn chiefs insist the AFL was “kept informed at all times” and that the board’s intention was always to hand the findings of Egan’s “truth-telling” report to the AFL integrity unit for investigation, where the three accused officials – Alastair Clarkson, Chris Fagan and Jason Burt – would be given their right of reply.
But the process turned on its head on September 19 when ABC national sports editor James Coventry emailed Hawthorn a series of questions about the Egan report, requesting answers by 1pm the next day.
Just before 5am on September 21, the ABC published a story based on “an external review commissioned by the Hawthorn Football Club” revealing allegations key figures at the club had “demanded the separation of young First Nations players from their partners, and pressured one couple to terminate a pregnancy for the sake of the player’s career”.
Clarkson, Fagan and Burt have strongly denied all allegations.
The Hawthorn racism review had exploded into the public domain, prompting the AFL to announce the establishment of an independent panel to investigate the claims that afternoon.
On October 4, league boss Gillon McLachlan declared he was “optimistic” the review would be completed by Christmas, but it was wishful thinking.
Within days of the establishment of the panel, the process had become a lawyers picnic.

Jeff Kennett and Alastair Clarkson in 2018. Picture: Getty Images

As Kennett said last week, “you have lawyers representing the AFL, the club, the players who have made the accusations, those who have been accused – and now you have lawyers appointed by the four-man inquiry panel and lawyers appointed to handle the mediation.”
Behind the scenes, almost all parties concede the eight-month AFL panel process is dead in the water, leaving mediation as the league’s last-ditch chance to reach a negotiated outcome.
Clarkson last week launched a scathing attack on the credibility of the investigation and took aim at his old club before announcing he was taking indefinite leave from the game.
“There’s one particular party out there that was the catalyst for all this, that haven’t been investigated at all — their governance and conduct in this whole thing, the Hawthorn Football Club, just shameful,” Clarkson said.
But the Hawks maintain they acted appropriately by commissioning a report in the weeks after the Riolis spoke up and notified the AFL almost immediately after the handing down of the Egan report.
The game changer came three days before last year’s Grand Final when the ABC published the untested racism allegations and the fuse that Cyril lit set off a nuclear bomb.

HOW THE HAWTHORN RACISM SCANDAL UNFOLDED​

April 2, 2022: Retired Hawthorn champion Cyril Rioli and wife Shannyn detail claims of racism at the club.
April 8, 2022: The Hawthorn board convenes to discuss the claims and agree to commission a review into the treatment of past and current Indigenous players. A sub-committee of Hawthorn’s people and culture committee chaired by board member Ian Silk explores options for the review.
May 19, 2022: Indigenous consultant Phil Egan is appointed to lead the review.
August 18, 2022: Hawthorn publicly confirms the review, telling the Herald Sun it has “engaged external First Nations experts to communicate and engage with former players and staff”.
September 2, 2022: Egan advises Hawthorn CEO Justin Reeves he is in the process of finalising his ‘cultural safety review’.
September 4, 2022: Egan sends Reeves a draft of his report.
September 5, 2022: Reeves presents the Egan draft report to the Hawthorn board at a 9am meeting at president Jeff Kennett’s Cremorne office.
September 7, 2022: Egan sends Reeves his final report, which is distributed to board members with protected passwords at 4.18pm.
September 8, 2022: Acting-Hawthorn president Peter Nankivell contacts AFL general counsel Andrew Dillon just before 9am advising him of a matter the club wishes to refer to the AFL integrity department regarding First Nations players. A meeting between the club and AFL is scheduled for the following week.
September 11, 2022: The AFL informs Hawthorn about “a lot of chatter” surrounding the club. Dillon attends a meeting at Reeves’ home in Richmond and reads an unredacted version of the Egan report.
September 12, 2022: Hawthorn sends the AFL a redacted copy of the report.
September 13, 2022: Hawks chiefs meet with Dillon and AFL integrity boss Tony Keane at the offices of a CBD law firm engaged by the club, providing an unredacted copy of the report to the league in a sealed envelope.
September 19, 2022: ABC national sports editor James Coventry emails Hawthorn questions about the Egan report, requesting answers by 1pm the next day.
September 21, 2022: The ABC publishes a story based on “an external review commissioned by the Hawthorn Football Club” which reveals allegations “key figures at the AFL club demanded the separation of young First Nations players from their partners, and pressured one couple to terminate a pregnancy for the sake of the player’s career”. The three accussed; Alastair Clarkson, Chris Fagan and Jason Burt, have all strongly denied all allegations. The AFL announces the establishment of a diverse, independent panel to investigate the allegations.
October 4, 2022: McLachlan says he is “optimistic” the review will be completed by Christmas 2022.
May 10, 2023: Panel chair Bernard Quinn KC releases a statement revealing the probe had reached an impasse.
May 18, 2022: North Melbourne coach Clarkson, in charge of Hawthorn at the time of the allegations, takes indefinite leave from the game.

 

[R00StaR]

You know that’s not it.

Yes it is that, ive listened to people such as Rita have had to say and none are attacking the claimants. They're attacking the process, the leaker, the ABC and those who have smeared Clarko and co.
Im all for being equal under the law, like the evil RWers. Believing some because of whats between their legs or colour of their skin is gawdamn racist and sexist. EVERYONE deserves due process.

Look at Thomas, he's copped it for threatening to show a video. In my younger years id had a chick throw her hand down my pants in public, getting groped, chicks exposing themselves and so on. One nutter chick was sneaking up and grabbing my tackle over and over. Never even crossed my mind to report this to the law. Because i couldnt use force against the nutter chick it took me making it very very clear to the two guys she was with that im holding them responsible. Then it stopped.

What Thomas has 'allegedly' done is nothing in comparison.

 

[giantroo]

The Hawthorn saga and how it has all unravelled

The investigation appears headed for a swift conclusion from an AFL perspective as the process has all but broken down. But there will be no winners; the next step could be the courts.

www.theage.com.au

Spoiler

The Hawthorn saga and how it has all unravelled​

By Peter Ryan​

Updated May 19, 2023 — 7.32amfirst published May 18, 2023 — 8.19pm

​

When The Age revealed that Alastair Clarkson was taking indefinite leave from North Melbourne, any patience those waiting for the AFL’s independent investigation into alleged racism at Hawthorn had left disappeared.
AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan said the investigation “needs to find resolution”, while Clarkson’s co-accused, Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan, said the “deeply flawed” process had been “profoundly damaging and unfair”.

“It is my hope that it will very soon come to an appropriate end,” Fagan said.
It is now 240 days since the allegations directed at Clarkson, Fagan and former Hawthorn welfare official Jason Burt were published online in an ABC article.

The end might be nigh, but how appropriate it will be remains to be seen.

How did the parties reach this point, and where will it go from here?



https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/javascript:void(0);


The spark that led to the firestorm that is now engulfing the AFL began when four-time premiership Hawk Cyril Rioli told The Age in April last year why he was disconnected from the club.

He outlined a series of events that chipped away at his relationship with the Hawks, including comments then president Jeff Kennett made to his wife Shannyn Ah Sam-Rioli about the jeans she was wearing as they prepared to board a plane from Launceston.


Hawthorn immediately released a statement expressing sorrow that the Riolis experienced such incidents while at the club. Kennett insists the incident was misconstrued and that he was disappointed Rioli felt the way he did.

The next week, in his monthly letter to members, Kennett wrote: “We have taken those claims seriously and are conducting further inquiries to see if there might have been other incidents affecting our past First Nations players.”

As a result, in May 2022 Hawthorn commissioned the former Richmond footballer and Indigenous leader Phil Egan’s consulting firm Binmada to conduct a review to answer Kennett’s question. Egan was to interview Hawthorn’s past and present First Nations players. He was to listen to the experiences of players and staff, determine if support was required and whether the Hawks should provide such support and review the club’s practices and policies.

Of the 23 people identified, 17 agreed to speak to him on the condition of anonymity. Interviews ranged from one to three hours. He was given no authority to interview anyone subject to the allegations.

After the report titled the Cultural Safety Review of past and present Indigenous players & staff at the Hawthorn Football Club was completed in August, its findings and recommendations were presented to the Hawthorn board late on September 7. One week later, a shocked Hawthorn board sent the report to the AFL integrity department as per the first recommendation from Egan.

Meanwhile, on August 19, North Melbourne announced they had appointed four-time premiership coach Clarkson on a five-year deal as their senior coach. Clarkson had left Hawthorn in a blaze of controversy with a year remaining on his contract after they decided he needed to hand over his job to Sam Mitchell.


He spent a year overseas before committing to North Melbourne, who wooed their former player. No one at the Kangaroos was aware of what was unfolding at Waverley.
Clarkson, Fagan, Burt and Mark Evans’ names were included in the report, but the names of those making the serious allegations had been redacted. The four former Hawthorn officials were not aware of the allegations, which were detailed. However, the report said that a former assistant coach had reached out to Egan to validate the report’s findings.

Kennett was overseas when the report was tabled to the board, but was aware of the allegations and in favour of handing over the report to the AFL.
Senior AFL officials were alarmed when they received a report containing such allegations during preliminary final week and they grappled with what steps they should take. Meanwhile, those who had anonymously made the allegations spoke to the ABC.

ABC reporter Russell Jackson, who wrote the story, said he sent detailed questions to Fagan via email and rang him with 24 hours to respond. He did not get a response.
A source with knowledge of the matter, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed a series of questions was also put to Clarkson via a variety of means, including text messages and emails, around events that were alleged to have occurred between 2010 and 2016. Hawthorn and the AFL were also asked for a response. Clarkson did not think he had enough time to make any response.

The ABC published the story on September 21 – four days before the AFL grand final between Geelong and Sydney.
All hell broke loose.

Hawthorn and the AFL called hasty press conferences and editorials and opinion pieces were written without any time for contemplation, while the most serious allegation – that club officials had urged a player to have an abortion – spewed all over the country. Clarkson, Fagan and Burt would all deny any wrongdoing.

“I was not afforded any due process and I refute any allegation of wrongdoing or misconduct and look forward to the opportunity to be heard as part of the AFL external investigation,” Clarkson said in a statement.

The Lions released a statement at the time. “We stand by Chris as he commits himself to be part of the AFL investigation, which gives him procedural fairness, into allegations concerning historical events at the Hawthorn Football Club, where he was a former employee,” club chair Andrew Wellington said. “Chris has categorically denied any wrongdoing.”

Burt said: “I categorically deny the conduct attributed to me in the media”.

In a media conference held that day at Waverley Park, without a sponsors backdrop, Hawthorn CEO Justin Reeves justified the review as one commissioned “to find out if anyone needed support in their life after football” and said an investigation would be appropriate.

McLachlan and manager of inclusion Tanya Hosch also held a press conference inside gate three at the MCG.

McLachlan used strong language within a minute of launching the media conference.

“I want to say to the women and the partners and also the players who have shared their stories that our first priority is to you,” McLachlan said.

McLachlan said he had consulted Indigenous figures in the game and committed to setting up an external independent panel of four to conduct a “proper investigation”. Hosch promised Indigenous representation.

They said the league wanted to expedite the process and not extend the trauma. McLachlan said he wanted to establish an “appropriate forum for those who are accused to tell their stories and give their version of events”.

​

​

North Melbourne general manager of football Todd Viney says Alastair Clarkson's decision to step down as coach took him by surprise.
Eight months later the accused trio are yet to give their version of events.
Clarkson, Fagan and Burt – who stood down from his job at Caulfield Grammar – released statements within a week denying any wrongdoing but agreeing to step away from their roles. AFL Commission member Andrew Newbold, who had been Hawks president during the time the alleged events occurred, also stood aside. All agreed and, in fact, said they welcomed the opportunity to take part in an investigation.

Meanwhile, AFL Players Association CEO Paul Marsh threw doubt on the ability of the AFL to form an independent investigation in a media briefing the week after the grand final. Kennett described the situation as “a bump in the road” at the club’s best and fairest in early October, also criticising the decision of the complainants to repeat the allegations to the media. WorkSafe Victoria confirmed it had launched its own investigation.

​

At the time AFL sources admitted it was difficult to find an investigative panel that was suitable to all relevant parties, with both the accusers and the accused appointing legal representation. But by October 4, two weeks after the story broke, the AFL announced that Bernard Quinn KC, Jacqualyn Turfrey, Tim Goodwin and Julie Buxton were on the panel. The AFL proposed that the investigation’s end date would be December.
That would prove wildly optimistic.

On October 20 after much negotiation the AFL released the terms of reference for the Independent investigation of allegations of racism referred to the AFL by the Hawthorn Football Club, but it became clear on November 2 that one of the complainants, only known by the pseudonym “Amy”, would not take part in the investigation. In a statement released by Marque Lawyers she cited concerns about cultural safety and an unwillingness to risk further trauma.

North Melbourne and the Brisbane Lions had already confirmed Clarkson and Fagan would commence pre-season with their teams, the Kangaroos board coming to its decision after hearing their newly appointed coach’s version of events. But there was a shift occurring, with the panel appointing Strongman & Crouch as their legal support after concerns were raised about the AFL’s legal team assembling documentation.

As the investigation went to work it soon became clear that it would not meet the new year deadline, with AFL sources hopeful it might be concluded in February. That was not to happen, but this masthead alarmed the panel when Jake Niall reported on February 3 that Rioli was participating, with 18 written submissions provided from 120 past players invited to comment to the inquiry.

Strongman & Crouch wrote a terse media release, making it clear it had reminded all connected to the inquiry who had been required to sign confidentiality agreements of their obligations.

“The publication of confidential information known to have been provided in breach of obligations of confidentiality may also have adverse legal consequences,” a statement read.

Frustration was apparent, but the confidentiality provisions were stopping those with knowledge of what was happening from commenting on the reason for that annoyance. By March, most within the AFL were troubled by how long the process was taking, while others involved thought the process could not be rushed.

​

In the background Clarkson, Fagan and Burt’s lawyers had requested documentation from Hawthorn as part of their preparation for appearing before investigators. Hawthorn had to go through 37,000 documents and emails one by one to discover documents relevant to those making the allegations.

Due to privacy provisions, the Hawks then had to make the relevant material available to the First Nations families involved in the investigation, so they could give permission for the documents to be handed over. That permission was declined.

In early May, pressure began to build around the investigation as some media reported that the complainants had presented a list of demands ahead of potential mediation. Another report claimed Clarkson and Fagan had refused to participate in mediation.

By May 8, Fagan had had enough, releasing a statement disputing the reports. He said he was open to mediation but would not enter such a process based on accepting demands. After the loss to St Kilda, Clarkson said it was “extraordinary” he was yet to front the investigators.

Under pressure in the football-mad town for an explanation as to what was happening, Quinn KC released a statement outlining why the investigation was taking so long after this masthead revealed a cache of documents had been requested. Quinn detailed what had been achieved and what remained ahead.

His decision angered Clarkson and those who had adhered to the tight confidentiality provisions. The veteran coach let fly at his weekly media conference on May 11, describing Hawthorn as “shameful” and saying he had little faith in Quinn after the breach of confidentiality. He pleaded with someone to take control of the process.

A week later he sat with his manager James Henderson and football manager Todd Viney and decided to take a break, the toll of the investigation on Clarkson clear to anyone who had dealt with him in the intervening week. His emotional health became everyone’s number one priority, suddenly.

The investigation appears headed for a swift conclusion from an AFL perspective as the process has all but broken down. But there will be no winners; the next step could be the courts.
This is not Clarkson’s cluster, but a cluster of another kind. One with enormous ramifications for the game.

 

[Merlin007]

Inside footy’s biggest – and messiest – racism scandal: The leak, panel and 240 days that broke Alastair Clarkson​

Footy’s biggest – and messiest – racism scandal exploded again this week. How did it get to this point? Go inside the reports, leaks, emails and meetings behind the Hawthorn racism saga.

Michael Warner

Spoiler: Article body

May 19, 2023 - 12:00PM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/.../ec351b9225101f502caf8e1f06011aac#share-tools


The fuse for footy’s biggest – and messiest – racism scandal was lit on April 2 last year.
Cyril Rioli, four years retired, and wife Shannyn went public with claims of racist incidents they said had fractured their relationship with the Hawthorn Football Club.
The headline allegation was that president Jeff Kennett had ridiculed Shannyn during a 2018 exchange at Launceston Airport where he commented on her ripped designer jeans – and offered some loose change to help sew them up.
The Riolis detailed a second incident during an end-of-season trip to Bali in 2013 where an unnamed senior Hawks player asked teammates whether the partner of one of his Indigenous teammates was “also a boong”.
Michael Long, Rioli’s uncle, spoke up a few days after the allegations were aired, declaring that his nephew had lost his way and needed help.
But Hawthorn – and Kennett- took the claims seriously.
A board meeting was convened on April 8 where the club’s directors agreed to commission a review into the treatment of past and current indigenous players.
A sub-committee of Hawthorn’s people and culture committee, chaired by board member Ian Silk, explored options for the review before former Richmond player and indigenous consultant Phil Egan was appointed to lead the process on May 19.

Alastair Clarkson and Chris Fagan while at the Hawks in 2014. Picture: AFL Media

The Egan review was hardly a secret within the football industry.
In August, the club publicly confirmed it had “engaged external First Nations experts to communicate and engage with former players and staff” in the wake of the Rioli allegations.
On September 2, Egan advised Hawthorn chief executive Justin Reeves that he was in the process of finalising his review.
Two days later, he emailed Reeves a draft version of his report, which was presented to the Hawthorn board at Kennett’s Cremorne office on the morning of September 4.
The board was “shocked” and “horrified” by the findings and agreed that the report needed to be handed to the AFL integrity unit.
On the afternoon of Wednesday, September 7, Reeves received Egan’s final report by email, which was distributed to Hawthorn board members with protected passwords at 4.18pm and just before 9am on September 8 – barely 17 hours after the club had formally received the report – acting-president Peter Nankivell contacted AFL general counsel Andrew Dillon and advised of a matter the club wished to refer to the AFL integrity department regarding First Nations players.
A meeting between the AFL and Hawthorn was scheduled for the morning of September 13 but on Sunday, September 11 the AFL informed the Hawks there was “a lot of chatter” surrounding the club.
That evening, Dillon drove to Reeves’ home in Richmond where he read a copy of Egan’s “Cultural Safety Review”.
Two days later, in the CBD office of Hawthorn’s law firm, Dillon and AFL integrity unit head Tony Keane met with club officials and were handed an envelope containing the full and unredacted version of the Egan report.

Alastair Clarkson stepped away from coaching this week to focus on his mental health. Picture: Getty Images

Hawthorn chiefs insist the AFL was “kept informed at all times” and that the board’s intention was always to hand the findings of Egan’s “truth-telling” report to the AFL integrity unit for investigation, where the three accused officials – Alastair Clarkson, Chris Fagan and Jason Burt – would be given their right of reply.
But the process turned on its head on September 19 when ABC national sports editor James Coventry emailed Hawthorn a series of questions about the Egan report, requesting answers by 1pm the next day.
Just before 5am on September 21, the ABC published a story based on “an external review commissioned by the Hawthorn Football Club” revealing allegations key figures at the club had “demanded the separation of young First Nations players from their partners, and pressured one couple to terminate a pregnancy for the sake of the player’s career”.
Clarkson, Fagan and Burt have strongly denied all allegations.
The Hawthorn racism review had exploded into the public domain, prompting the AFL to announce the establishment of an independent panel to investigate the claims that afternoon.
On October 4, league boss Gillon McLachlan declared he was “optimistic” the review would be completed by Christmas, but it was wishful thinking.
Within days of the establishment of the panel, the process had become a lawyers picnic.

Jeff Kennett and Alastair Clarkson in 2018. Picture: Getty Images

As Kennett said last week, “you have lawyers representing the AFL, the club, the players who have made the accusations, those who have been accused – and now you have lawyers appointed by the four-man inquiry panel and lawyers appointed to handle the mediation.”
Behind the scenes, almost all parties concede the eight-month AFL panel process is dead in the water, leaving mediation as the league’s last-ditch chance to reach a negotiated outcome.
Clarkson last week launched a scathing attack on the credibility of the investigation and took aim at his old club before announcing he was taking indefinite leave from the game.
“There’s one particular party out there that was the catalyst for all this, that haven’t been investigated at all — their governance and conduct in this whole thing, the Hawthorn Football Club, just shameful,” Clarkson said.
But the Hawks maintain they acted appropriately by commissioning a report in the weeks after the Riolis spoke up and notified the AFL almost immediately after the handing down of the Egan report.
The game changer came three days before last year’s Grand Final when the ABC published the untested racism allegations and the fuse that Cyril lit set off a nuclear bomb.

HOW THE HAWTHORN RACISM SCANDAL UNFOLDED​

April 2, 2022: Retired Hawthorn champion Cyril Rioli and wife Shannyn detail claims of racism at the club.
April 8, 2022: The Hawthorn board convenes to discuss the claims and agree to commission a review into the treatment of past and current Indigenous players. A sub-committee of Hawthorn’s people and culture committee chaired by board member Ian Silk explores options for the review.
May 19, 2022: Indigenous consultant Phil Egan is appointed to lead the review.
August 18, 2022: Hawthorn publicly confirms the review, telling the Herald Sun it has “engaged external First Nations experts to communicate and engage with former players and staff”.
September 2, 2022: Egan advises Hawthorn CEO Justin Reeves he is in the process of finalising his ‘cultural safety review’.
September 4, 2022: Egan sends Reeves a draft of his report.
September 5, 2022: Reeves presents the Egan draft report to the Hawthorn board at a 9am meeting at president Jeff Kennett’s Cremorne office.
September 7, 2022: Egan sends Reeves his final report, which is distributed to board members with protected passwords at 4.18pm.
September 8, 2022: Acting-Hawthorn president Peter Nankivell contacts AFL general counsel Andrew Dillon just before 9am advising him of a matter the club wishes to refer to the AFL integrity department regarding First Nations players. A meeting between the club and AFL is scheduled for the following week.
September 11, 2022: The AFL informs Hawthorn about “a lot of chatter” surrounding the club. Dillon attends a meeting at Reeves’ home in Richmond and reads an unredacted version of the Egan report.
September 12, 2022: Hawthorn sends the AFL a redacted copy of the report.
September 13, 2022: Hawks chiefs meet with Dillon and AFL integrity boss Tony Keane at the offices of a CBD law firm engaged by the club, providing an unredacted copy of the report to the league in a sealed envelope.
September 19, 2022: ABC national sports editor James Coventry emails Hawthorn questions about the Egan report, requesting answers by 1pm the next day.
September 21, 2022: The ABC publishes a story based on “an external review commissioned by the Hawthorn Football Club” which reveals allegations “key figures at the AFL club demanded the separation of young First Nations players from their partners, and pressured one couple to terminate a pregnancy for the sake of the player’s career”. The three accussed; Alastair Clarkson, Chris Fagan and Jason Burt, have all strongly denied all allegations. The AFL announces the establishment of a diverse, independent panel to investigate the allegations.
October 4, 2022: McLachlan says he is “optimistic” the review will be completed by Christmas 2022.
May 10, 2023: Panel chair Bernard Quinn KC releases a statement revealing the probe had reached an impasse.
May 18, 2022: North Melbourne coach Clarkson, in charge of Hawthorn at the time of the allegations, takes indefinite leave from the game.

so the final report is provided to Hawthorn board members on password protected files on 7 Sept, and the AFL don't receive an unreacted hard copy until 13 Sept, but in the meantime there's already a lot of 'chatter' two days earlier on 11 Sept.

Seems like the passwords on documents provided to Hawthorn board members are a bit easy to pick - if you happen to find anything in your inbox from Hawthorn that needs a password, try 02031948.

Jeff's birthday

 

[CharlieMortdecai]

I guess my problem here is that he went nuclear with anonymous sources and named bad guys when there was already a process for those stories to be heard and responded to. Even with the AFL and not trusting its “integrity unit” it would have been worth seeing how the process went along before blowing it up. Now no-one including the players and families he spoke to is better off.

It very much felt like it was driven by the timing - let's get this story published before the grandfinal for maximum exposure/acclaim/relevance.

 

[the_cleaner]

KKK!!?? That ain't good.

 

[DrZaius]

Yes it is that, ive listened to people such as Rita have had to say and none are attacking the claimants. They're attacking the process, the leaker, the ABC and those who have smeared Clarko and co.
Im all for being equal under the law, like the evil RWers. Believing some because of whats between their legs or colour of their skin is gawdamn racist and sexist. EVERYONE deserves due process.

Look at Thomas, he's copped it for threatening to show a video. In my younger years id had a chick throw her hand down my pants in public, getting groped, chicks exposing themselves and so on. One nutter chick was sneaking up and grabbing my tackle over and over. Never even crossed my mind to report this to the law. Because i couldnt use force against the nutter chick it took me making it very very clear to the two guys she was with that im holding them responsible. Then it stopped.

What Thomas has 'allegedly' done is nothing in comparison.

Oh yeah well done to Rita and co. for further flaming the identity politics culture war. Real heroic.

Everyone here wants due process. H2H has simply outlined their reasoning as to how it's possible to be both understanding to those who believe they have been the victims of trauma and mistreatment AND be critical of how the whole thing has been played out at the same time. GreatBradScott's post was another great example of actual nuanced thought. You (and others) are just deliberately ignoring said nuance because of your own pre-conceived biases.

Your second paragraph is quite insightful by the way, but playing the reverse-sexism card probably isn't the 'gotcha' moment you think it is.

 

[shintemaster]

Yes it is that, ive listened to people such as Rita have had to say and none are attacking the claimants. They're attacking the process, the leaker, the ABC and those who have smeared Clarko and co.
Im all for being equal under the law, like the evil RWers. Believing some because of whats between their legs or colour of their skin is gawdamn racist and sexist. EVERYONE deserves due process.

Look at Thomas, he's copped it for threatening to show a video. In my younger years id had a chick throw her hand down my pants in public, getting groped, chicks exposing themselves and so on. One nutter chick was sneaking up and grabbing my tackle over and over. Never even crossed my mind to report this to the law. Because i couldnt use force against the nutter chick it took me making it very very clear to the two guys she was with that im holding them responsible. Then it stopped.

What Thomas has 'allegedly' done is nothing in comparison.

None of this is about you.

 

[Samsquanch]

View attachment 1690993

The Hawthorn saga and how it has all unravelled

The investigation appears headed for a swift conclusion from an AFL perspective as the process has all but broken down. But there will be no winners; the next step could be the courts.

www.theage.com.au

Spoiler

The Hawthorn saga and how it has all unravelled​

By Peter Ryan​

Updated May 19, 2023 — 7.32amfirst published May 18, 2023 — 8.19pm

​

When The Age revealed that Alastair Clarkson was taking indefinite leave from North Melbourne, any patience those waiting for the AFL’s independent investigation into alleged racism at Hawthorn had left disappeared.
AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan said the investigation “needs to find resolution”, while Clarkson’s co-accused, Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan, said the “deeply flawed” process had been “profoundly damaging and unfair”.

“It is my hope that it will very soon come to an appropriate end,” Fagan said.
It is now 240 days since the allegations directed at Clarkson, Fagan and former Hawthorn welfare official Jason Burt were published online in an ABC article.

The end might be nigh, but how appropriate it will be remains to be seen.

How did the parties reach this point, and where will it go from here?



https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/javascript:void(0);


The spark that led to the firestorm that is now engulfing the AFL began when four-time premiership Hawk Cyril Rioli told The Age in April last year why he was disconnected from the club.

He outlined a series of events that chipped away at his relationship with the Hawks, including comments then president Jeff Kennett made to his wife Shannyn Ah Sam-Rioli about the jeans she was wearing as they prepared to board a plane from Launceston.


Hawthorn immediately released a statement expressing sorrow that the Riolis experienced such incidents while at the club. Kennett insists the incident was misconstrued and that he was disappointed Rioli felt the way he did.

The next week, in his monthly letter to members, Kennett wrote: “We have taken those claims seriously and are conducting further inquiries to see if there might have been other incidents affecting our past First Nations players.”

As a result, in May 2022 Hawthorn commissioned the former Richmond footballer and Indigenous leader Phil Egan’s consulting firm Binmada to conduct a review to answer Kennett’s question. Egan was to interview Hawthorn’s past and present First Nations players. He was to listen to the experiences of players and staff, determine if support was required and whether the Hawks should provide such support and review the club’s practices and policies.

Of the 23 people identified, 17 agreed to speak to him on the condition of anonymity. Interviews ranged from one to three hours. He was given no authority to interview anyone subject to the allegations.

After the report titled the Cultural Safety Review of past and present Indigenous players & staff at the Hawthorn Football Club was completed in August, its findings and recommendations were presented to the Hawthorn board late on September 7. One week later, a shocked Hawthorn board sent the report to the AFL integrity department as per the first recommendation from Egan.

Meanwhile, on August 19, North Melbourne announced they had appointed four-time premiership coach Clarkson on a five-year deal as their senior coach. Clarkson had left Hawthorn in a blaze of controversy with a year remaining on his contract after they decided he needed to hand over his job to Sam Mitchell.


He spent a year overseas before committing to North Melbourne, who wooed their former player. No one at the Kangaroos was aware of what was unfolding at Waverley.
Clarkson, Fagan, Burt and Mark Evans’ names were included in the report, but the names of those making the serious allegations had been redacted. The four former Hawthorn officials were not aware of the allegations, which were detailed. However, the report said that a former assistant coach had reached out to Egan to validate the report’s findings.

Kennett was overseas when the report was tabled to the board, but was aware of the allegations and in favour of handing over the report to the AFL.
Senior AFL officials were alarmed when they received a report containing such allegations during preliminary final week and they grappled with what steps they should take. Meanwhile, those who had anonymously made the allegations spoke to the ABC.

ABC reporter Russell Jackson, who wrote the story, said he sent detailed questions to Fagan via email and rang him with 24 hours to respond. He did not get a response.
A source with knowledge of the matter, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed a series of questions was also put to Clarkson via a variety of means, including text messages and emails, around events that were alleged to have occurred between 2010 and 2016. Hawthorn and the AFL were also asked for a response. Clarkson did not think he had enough time to make any response.

The ABC published the story on September 21 – four days before the AFL grand final between Geelong and Sydney.
All hell broke loose.

Hawthorn and the AFL called hasty press conferences and editorials and opinion pieces were written without any time for contemplation, while the most serious allegation – that club officials had urged a player to have an abortion – spewed all over the country. Clarkson, Fagan and Burt would all deny any wrongdoing.

“I was not afforded any due process and I refute any allegation of wrongdoing or misconduct and look forward to the opportunity to be heard as part of the AFL external investigation,” Clarkson said in a statement.

The Lions released a statement at the time. “We stand by Chris as he commits himself to be part of the AFL investigation, which gives him procedural fairness, into allegations concerning historical events at the Hawthorn Football Club, where he was a former employee,” club chair Andrew Wellington said. “Chris has categorically denied any wrongdoing.”

Burt said: “I categorically deny the conduct attributed to me in the media”.

In a media conference held that day at Waverley Park, without a sponsors backdrop, Hawthorn CEO Justin Reeves justified the review as one commissioned “to find out if anyone needed support in their life after football” and said an investigation would be appropriate.

McLachlan and manager of inclusion Tanya Hosch also held a press conference inside gate three at the MCG.

McLachlan used strong language within a minute of launching the media conference.

“I want to say to the women and the partners and also the players who have shared their stories that our first priority is to you,” McLachlan said.

McLachlan said he had consulted Indigenous figures in the game and committed to setting up an external independent panel of four to conduct a “proper investigation”. Hosch promised Indigenous representation.

They said the league wanted to expedite the process and not extend the trauma. McLachlan said he wanted to establish an “appropriate forum for those who are accused to tell their stories and give their version of events”.

​

​

North Melbourne general manager of football Todd Viney says Alastair Clarkson's decision to step down as coach took him by surprise.
Eight months later the accused trio are yet to give their version of events.
Clarkson, Fagan and Burt – who stood down from his job at Caulfield Grammar – released statements within a week denying any wrongdoing but agreeing to step away from their roles. AFL Commission member Andrew Newbold, who had been Hawks president during the time the alleged events occurred, also stood aside. All agreed and, in fact, said they welcomed the opportunity to take part in an investigation.

Meanwhile, AFL Players Association CEO Paul Marsh threw doubt on the ability of the AFL to form an independent investigation in a media briefing the week after the grand final. Kennett described the situation as “a bump in the road” at the club’s best and fairest in early October, also criticising the decision of the complainants to repeat the allegations to the media. WorkSafe Victoria confirmed it had launched its own investigation.

​

At the time AFL sources admitted it was difficult to find an investigative panel that was suitable to all relevant parties, with both the accusers and the accused appointing legal representation. But by October 4, two weeks after the story broke, the AFL announced that Bernard Quinn KC, Jacqualyn Turfrey, Tim Goodwin and Julie Buxton were on the panel. The AFL proposed that the investigation’s end date would be December.
That would prove wildly optimistic.

On October 20 after much negotiation the AFL released the terms of reference for the Independent investigation of allegations of racism referred to the AFL by the Hawthorn Football Club, but it became clear on November 2 that one of the complainants, only known by the pseudonym “Amy”, would not take part in the investigation. In a statement released by Marque Lawyers she cited concerns about cultural safety and an unwillingness to risk further trauma.

North Melbourne and the Brisbane Lions had already confirmed Clarkson and Fagan would commence pre-season with their teams, the Kangaroos board coming to its decision after hearing their newly appointed coach’s version of events. But there was a shift occurring, with the panel appointing Strongman & Crouch as their legal support after concerns were raised about the AFL’s legal team assembling documentation.

As the investigation went to work it soon became clear that it would not meet the new year deadline, with AFL sources hopeful it might be concluded in February. That was not to happen, but this masthead alarmed the panel when Jake Niall reported on February 3 that Rioli was participating, with 18 written submissions provided from 120 past players invited to comment to the inquiry.

Strongman & Crouch wrote a terse media release, making it clear it had reminded all connected to the inquiry who had been required to sign confidentiality agreements of their obligations.

“The publication of confidential information known to have been provided in breach of obligations of confidentiality may also have adverse legal consequences,” a statement read.

Frustration was apparent, but the confidentiality provisions were stopping those with knowledge of what was happening from commenting on the reason for that annoyance. By March, most within the AFL were troubled by how long the process was taking, while others involved thought the process could not be rushed.

​

In the background Clarkson, Fagan and Burt’s lawyers had requested documentation from Hawthorn as part of their preparation for appearing before investigators. Hawthorn had to go through 37,000 documents and emails one by one to discover documents relevant to those making the allegations.

Due to privacy provisions, the Hawks then had to make the relevant material available to the First Nations families involved in the investigation, so they could give permission for the documents to be handed over. That permission was declined.

In early May, pressure began to build around the investigation as some media reported that the complainants had presented a list of demands ahead of potential mediation. Another report claimed Clarkson and Fagan had refused to participate in mediation.

By May 8, Fagan had had enough, releasing a statement disputing the reports. He said he was open to mediation but would not enter such a process based on accepting demands. After the loss to St Kilda, Clarkson said it was “extraordinary” he was yet to front the investigators.

Under pressure in the football-mad town for an explanation as to what was happening, Quinn KC released a statement outlining why the investigation was taking so long after this masthead revealed a cache of documents had been requested. Quinn detailed what had been achieved and what remained ahead.

His decision angered Clarkson and those who had adhered to the tight confidentiality provisions. The veteran coach let fly at his weekly media conference on May 11, describing Hawthorn as “shameful” and saying he had little faith in Quinn after the breach of confidentiality. He pleaded with someone to take control of the process.

A week later he sat with his manager James Henderson and football manager Todd Viney and decided to take a break, the toll of the investigation on Clarkson clear to anyone who had dealt with him in the intervening week. His emotional health became everyone’s number one priority, suddenly.

The investigation appears headed for a swift conclusion from an AFL perspective as the process has all but broken down. But there will be no winners; the next step could be the courts.
This is not Clarkson’s cluster, but a cluster of another kind. One with enormous ramifications for the game.

I got exactly the same response from Chat GPT when I asked about this in Microsoft Edge.

 

[Samsquanch]

 

[DesertRoo]

They’d end up in the estuaries.

 

[Makeshift Park]

I found the tourist drags of Amsterdam a bit hectic.
Maybe the coffeeshops of Utrecht or Leiden would be better places for meaningful reflection.

 

[Mav]

Oh yeah well done to Rita and co. for further flaming the identity politics culture war. Real heroic.

Everyone here wants due process. H2H has simply outlined their reasoning as to how it's possible to be both understanding to those who believe they have been the victims of trauma and mistreatment AND be critical of how the whole thing has been played out at the same time. GreatBradScott's post was another great example of actual nuanced thought. You (and others) are just deliberately ignoring said nuance because of your own pre-conceived biases.

Your second paragraph is quite insightful by the way, but playing the reverse-sexism card probably isn't the 'gotcha' moment you think it is.

Sorry but I cant be understanding to those who believe they have been victims...

Due to privacy provisions, the Hawks then had to make the relevant material available to First Nations families involved in the investigation so they could give permission for the documents to be handed over. That permission was declined.

If they have something to hide then they're not telling the full truth. And if we can't hear from all sides, to find the full truth, then I can't understand why they would bother even asking for mediation.

This has to go to court so those documents can be presented and we can get to the bottom of it.

 

[Samsquanch]

Gowers, the Hawthorn president was on 774 this morning...

Couple at centre of Hawthorn racism allegations not doing well: Lawyer - ABC listen

The lawyer representing clients at the centre of the Hawthorn Racism allegations and the President of the Hawthorn Football Club speak to Virginia Trioli.

www.abc.net.au

 

[justroyal]

Ha and there goes Kennet trying to play clean bat. The lawyer and client put the focus back on hawthorn

 

[see see]

Added bonus - getting a tax deduction due to it being a "business trip". Just remember to keep those receipts from the Milky Way, Prix d'Ami, Dampkring etc.

Going off topic here but I spent almost four years living and working in Amsterdam and it never ceased to amaze me how often clients and colleagues from other offices insisted on flying in to hold face to face meetings over the most trivial issues.

One time we were having a regional conference in town and at dinner a colleague from UK made a big show of saying how tired he was from his travels earlier that day (yeah, that 50 minute flight from Heathrow to Schiphol must've really knocked him about) and told us he was retiring to his hotel for the night. A little bit later in the evening some of our foreign guests expressed their curiosity about seeing the Red Light District so me and some local colleagues obliged by taking them down for a look. To our surprise (not), we spotted old mate from the UK who had obviously gotten his second wind and was cruising the RLD doing some window shopping.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

These ‘victims’ won’t want their claims tested in court.

And because of this, this whole thing goes nowhere and three men have their characters besmirched without ever having the accusations tested.

Absolutely calamitous.