News Hawthorn Racism Scandal

[RussellEbertHandball]

The author of the explosive Hawthorn racism report could face criminal charges for allegedly stealing from a body set up to help Indigenous communities, in a major twist in the damaging AFL saga.
Victoria Police detectives have been investigating former Richmond forward Phil Egan for several months over claims he fraudulently obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars from Murray Valley Aboriginal Cooperative, including through a bogus invoices scheme.
“Detectives from the Financial Crime Squad are investigating a number of allegations of fraud relating to the management of a Robinvale-based organisation,” a Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed.
The Herald Sun is not suggesting the allegations are true, only that they are being investigated.
.....
The Herald Sun can now reveal that Egan has been accused of masterminding payments from MVAC to unqualified contractors, who later transferred funds to his personal bank account.
The alleged frauds are understood to have taken place around 2010-2012, during which time Egan was a senior manager at the co-operative, including chief executive for a period.
A police spokesperson yesterday said: “No one has been charged in relation to the matter and the investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppers.com.au.”

A lawyer for one of the Hawks officials accused of racism said the development could be a “game-changer”.
“Storm clouds are gathering over the integrity of the Hawthorn FC-commissioned report,” the lawyer said.

 

[chiwigi]

Don’t **** with the Boys Club, they’ll dig the dirt!

 

[Jojay]

The author of the explosive Hawthorn racism report could face criminal charges for allegedly stealing from a body set up to help Indigenous communities, in a major twist in the damaging AFL saga.
Victoria Police detectives have been investigating former Richmond forward Phil Egan for several months over claims he fraudulently obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars from Murray Valley Aboriginal Cooperative, including through a bogus invoices scheme.
“Detectives from the Financial Crime Squad are investigating a number of allegations of fraud relating to the management of a Robinvale-based organisation,” a Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed.
The Herald Sun is not suggesting the allegations are true, only that they are being investigated.
.....
The Herald Sun can now reveal that Egan has been accused of masterminding payments from MVAC to unqualified contractors, who later transferred funds to his personal bank account.
The alleged frauds are understood to have taken place around 2010-2012, during which time Egan was a senior manager at the co-operative, including chief executive for a period.
A police spokesperson yesterday said: “No one has been charged in relation to the matter and the investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppers.com.au.”

A lawyer for one of the Hawks officials accused of racism said the development could be a “game-changer”.
“Storm clouds are gathering over the integrity of the Hawthorn FC-commissioned report,” the lawyer said.

Lol
"The Herald Sun is not suggesting the allegations are true, only that they are being investigated."

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Don’t * with the Boys Club, they’ll dig the dirt!

 

[Festerz]

Lol
"The Herald Sun is not suggesting the allegations are true, only that they are being investigated."

Yep - a targeted hit piece that has a damning ‘statement’ from a Hawks lawyer for one of those accused in the racism scandal saying it's a 'game changer'.

FFS. Laughable stuff.

Pretty obvious what has happened here and surprise, surprise the HUN has acted as the publisher of the smear while using the 'no suggestions' defence. Utter SCUM reporting.

 

[Festerz]

Statement issued by Phil Egan in relation to the Murdoch tabloid story from yesterday...

'This dog whistling will in no way diminish or discredit the entirely seperate investigation commissioned by the AFL and led by Mr Bernard Quinn KC, with which i have no involvement. To try and dismantle that process by destroying my reputation I suspect will be as futile as it is outrageous'

 

[OneGreatClub]

Yep - a targeted hit piece that has a damning ‘statement’ from a Hawks lawyer for one of those accused in the racism scandal saying it's a 'game changer'.

FFS. Laughable stuff.

Pretty obvious what has happened here and surprise, surprise the HUN has acted as the publisher of the smear while using the 'no suggestions' defence. Utter SCUM reporting.

Ah yes the Herald

 

[PrisonBars4life]

Seeing as though News Ltd seems to be happy to fling shit to the wall to see if it sticks, we should erect a catapult and all take a post spicy food dump in it then let rip with our colonic contents through the windows of the HUN's offices. You shouldn't even be allowed to report on allegations prior to charges being laid. I could accuse the chief editor of being a pedophile and the police would have to investigate it. nek minnut 'Chief Editor of the HUN being investigated for raping little boys'. Absolute tripe from those Murdoch ball sniffing campaigners.

 

[EskimoPAFC]

I need to report that I'm currently investigating the Herald Sun for being a secret front for the crab people who live underground and plan to take over and enslave the human race. This may not actually be true but I am investigating.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Lol Herald Sun

 

[Sleezy]

Seeing as though News Ltd seems to be happy to fling s**t to the wall to see if it sticks, we should erect a catapult and all take a post spicy food dump in it then let rip with our colonic contents through the windows of the HUN's offices. You shouldn't even be allowed to report on allegations prior to charges being laid. I could accuse the chief editor of being a pedophile and the police would have to investigate it. nek minnut 'Chief Editor of the HUN being investigated for raping little boys'. Absolute tripe from those Murdoch ball sniffing campaigners.

Much as I love a good Murdoch pile on, charges haven't been laid against Clarkson or Fagan either. Are you arguing that the original ABC story also shouldn't have been published?

The reporter's speciality is historical abuses of power in sport. Everything he reports is an accusation requiring official investigation that may or may not lead to charges being laid.

If we follow your rule it would also prevent:

• The NYT & New Yorker's exposés of Harvey Weinstein
• The Boston Globe's exposé of historical child abuse within the Catholic Church

You can't have on rule for accusations you agree with, and another for accusations you don't agree with.

 

[Saltiga]

Much as I love a good Murdoch pile on, charges haven't been laid against Clarkson or Fagan either. Are you arguing that the original ABC story also shouldn't have been published?

The reporter's speciality is historical abuses of power in sport. Everything he reports is an accusation requiring official investigation that may or may not lead to charges being laid.

If we follow your rule it would also prevent:

• The NYT & New Yorker's exposés of Harvey Weinstein
• The Boston Globe's exposé of historical child abuse within the Catholic Church

You can't have on rule for accusations you agree with, and another for accusations you don't agree with.

Got your work cut out if you try to argue logical reasoning with the peanuts. They'll say your deep seated racism is bubbling to the surface

 

[Sleezy]

Got your work cut out if you try to argue logical reasoning with the peanuts. They'll say your deep seated racism is bubbling to the surface

This is an issue I had to contend with back when Israel Fallou was in the middle of a contract dispute with the Rugby Union over his very public expression of his genuinely held anti-LGBT religious beliefs, and at the same time a CA marketing person was also fired for making pubic commentary on her support for improved abortion access in Tasmania.

Both lost their jobs for making public comments aligned with their personal, genuinely held political/religious beliefs, but I felt quite strongly that the CA marketing rep had been wronged, and that Rugby had been right to sack Israel Fallou.

When I tried to justify that feeling I couldn't, other than that I agree that abortion access is important, and I disagree with the continued marginalisation of the LGBT community. If I want employees to be able to express their political opinion/religiousity freely, without repercussions from their employer, that should apply equally to people I agree with and disagree with.

I don't know what the answer is here (the balance between religious freedom and LGBT rights is an probably an unsolvable problem), but I am very aware of the kinds of biases that can lead a person to apply their own principles differently when it suits their belief system, and I think that's quite dangerous.

 

[Schulzenfest]

When I tried to justify that feeling I couldn't, other than that I agree that abortion access is important, and I disagree with the continued marginalisation of the LGBT community.

Nah. Not all opinions are equal and deserve the right to be expressed.

If Folau had been sacked for posting that he believes taxes on high income earners should be reduced or that he thinks government spending is too high, that would be a political opinion that I disagree with but not one he should have been sacked for. But you don't get to spew hate and bigotry and then hide behind it as 'just my opinion'.

 

[EskimoPAFC]

Israel Folau is just so clearly a gay man struggling with his sexuality that I always feel a bit bad when he is dragged even if it was a shitty twitter post.

 

[Saltiga]

How do you rationalise the argument that its ok for the Herald to print unproven allegations against Clarkson but its not ok for the same paper to print unproven allegations against Phil Egan?

 

[PrisonBars4life]

Much as I love a good Murdoch pile on, charges haven't been laid against Clarkson or Fagan either. Are you arguing that the original ABC story also shouldn't have been published?

The reporter's speciality is historical abuses of power in sport. Everything he reports is an accusation requiring official investigation that may or may not lead to charges being laid.

If we follow your rule it would also prevent:

• The NYT & New Yorker's exposés of Harvey Weinstein
• The Boston Globe's exposé of historical child abuse within the Catholic Church

You can't have on rule for accusations you agree with, and another for accusations you don't agree with.

I wouldn't objectively have a problem with the original report not being made public until a more formal AFL investigation had been completed, but I suspect some people would suggest that was/ would be weak/ trying to hide something. However, the massive distinction I would draw is the media reporting on a conclusion, one that has been corroborated by several people, including another assistant coach. That is different to the preliminary stages of a police investigation. If people went to jail for an allegation of a crime, not a single African American would be free in America. Everyone knows what the HUN's intent was, it has nothing to do with reporting on a matter of public interest. Lets get real here, it was an internal report. It's pretty rare that an internal report is biased against it's own people. If a journo got hold of an independent internal report that concluded a bank had been stealing money from clients/ accountholders, or BHP was dumping waste in a river, I think everyone would expect that to be reported on and until proven otherwise, would accept that as fact. If Shazza or Dazza was accusing the bank of stealing it's money and had reported the matter to AFCA, that just shouldn't be clogging up the media cycle. I know those sorts of stories are reported all the time, but they are dogshit.

Murdoch is digging the knife in. Can't have uppity black folk taking important white folks down. They should know their place. The Murdoch's have more than a hundred years of being bigoted c8nts, upto and including trying to have our greatest ever military commander replaced moments before a decisive battle, because Keith didn't want a Jew in charge. Those things over at the HUN don't deserve the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Steve Dore]

Israel Folau is just so clearly a gay man struggling with his sexuality that I always feel a bit bad when he is dragged even if it was a shitty twitter post.

That Israel Folau can be sacked for spreading the alleged teachings of a man that was a human sacrifice 2000 years ago to save Israel from something bad his ancestors did 6000 years ago is at travesty.

 

[Festerz]

How do you rationalise the argument that its ok for the Herald to print unproven allegations against Clarkson but its not ok for the same paper to print unproven allegations against Phil Egan?

Because it is a prime example of the fallacy of false equivalence, i.e. two totally unrelated issues being used by one side as a lame attempt to discredit the other.

The allegations against Clarkson come from a formal review commissioned by the Hawthorn Football Club and documented allegations from former indigenous Hawthorn players, partners and support staff reported to the AFL. Those allegations are currently under an internal review formed by the AFL - although the independent nature and status of that review remains uncertain.

The AFL is a billion dollar tax free industry and the recipient of substantial government funding. It has made its engagement with the indigenous community a central plank of its marketing, as has the Hawthorn Football Club. There is no doubt that allegations against Clarkson and others as a result of the Hawthorn Football Club is a matter of public interest.

The allegations against Egan are entirely un-related to the Hawthorn review. And given central focus by the Newscorp papers not because the allegations are in the public interest but solely because they relate to the author of the Hawthorn review that is currently being investigated by the AFL.

That Newscorp actually sought comment from and published commentary from Clarkson's lawyers saying it was a'game changer - despite him having zero involvement in the Egan allegations shows you what a stitch up this was from the Murdoch press. A clear attempt to discredit the review into Clarkson that is still underway.

And to top it off. The Murdoch press used the weasel words "The Herald Sun is not suggesting the allegations are true, only that they are being investigated." All care no responsibility.

Gutter trash.

 

[edgie]

So Israel said gay people won't go somewhere they and most others don't believe in when they die?

To me I find this can exist along with not being an arseh*le to those groups of people in person and treating everyone the same while everyone is alive.

Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using Tapatalk

 

[Saltiga]

Because it is a prime example of the fallacy of false equivalence, i.e. two totally unrelated issues being used by one side as a lame attempt to discredit the other.

The allegations against Clarkson come from a formal review commissioned by the Hawthorn Football Club and documented allegations from former indigenous Hawthorn players, partners and support staff reported to the AFL. Those allegations are currently under an internal review formed by the AFL - although the independent nature and status of that review remains uncertain.

The AFL is a billion dollar tax free industry and the recipient of substantial government funding. It has made its engagement with the indigenous community a central plank of its marketing, as has the Hawthorn Football Club. There is no doubt that allegations against Clarkson and others as a result of the Hawthorn Football Club is a matter of public interest.

The allegations against Egan are entirely un-related to the Hawthorn review. And given central focus by the Newscorp papers not because the allegations are in the public interest but solely because they relate to the author of the Hawthorn review that is currently being investigated by the AFL.

That Newscorp actually sought comment from and published commentary from Clarkson's lawyers saying it was a'game changer - despite him having zero involvement in the Egan allegations shows you what a stitch up this was from the Murdoch press. A clear attempt to discredit the review into Clarkson that is still underway.

And to top it off. The Murdoch press used the weasel words "The Herald Sun is not suggesting the allegations are true, only that they are being investigated." All care no responsibility.

Gutter trash.

The allegations against Clarkson are not part of a formal review at all. A formal review obtains input from all parties.

Private media enterprises haven't bothered with the public interest test for a long time now. Without the advantage of government funding like the ABC has, they need content that sells.

 

[EskimoPAFC]

The allegations against Clarkson are not part of a formal review at all. A formal review obtains input from all parties.

Private media enterprises haven't bothered with the public interest test for a long time now. Without the advantage of government funding like the ABC has, they need content that sells.

Really? I thought this is exactly where they were from - a review launched by the Hawthorn football club.

Or are you distinguishing "review" from "formal review"?

 

[Sleezy]

Because it is a prime example of the fallacy of false equivalence, i.e. two totally unrelated issues being used by one side as a lame attempt to discredit the other.

The allegations against Clarkson come from a formal review commissioned by the Hawthorn Football Club and documented allegations from former indigenous Hawthorn players, partners and support staff reported to the AFL. Those allegations are currently under an internal review formed by the AFL - although the independent nature and status of that review remains uncertain.

The AFL is a billion dollar tax free industry and the recipient of substantial government funding. It has made its engagement with the indigenous community a central plank of its marketing, as has the Hawthorn Football Club. There is no doubt that allegations against Clarkson and others as a result of the Hawthorn Football Club is a matter of public interest.

The allegations against Egan are entirely un-related to the Hawthorn review. And given central focus by the Newscorp papers not because the allegations are in the public interest but solely because they relate to the author of the Hawthorn review that is currently being investigated by the AFL.

That Newscorp actually sought comment from and published commentary from Clarkson's lawyers saying it was a'game changer - despite him having zero involvement in the Egan allegations shows you what a stitch up this was from the Murdoch press. A clear attempt to discredit the review into Clarkson that is still underway.

And to top it off. The Murdoch press used the weasel words "The Herald Sun is not suggesting the allegations are true, only that they are being investigated." All care no responsibility.

Gutter trash.

This is all true, but old mate argued that allegations or accusations should not be publishable until charges are laid.

Which, unfortunately, would actually serve perpetrators just fine.

Bet Tricky Ricky would have been tickled pink if Woodward and Bernstein had been legally barred from reporting his alleged involvement in the Watergate Scandal because he had yet to be charged with wrongdoing (he never was, as far as I know).

 

[Papa G]

The allegations against Egan are formally being investigated by police. To say they are irrelevant is bullshit. It goes to the heart of the character of the man. If he is proven to be a fraudsters and embezzler, you don't reckon that counts towards his trustworthiness and believability?

 

[Saltiga]

The allegations against Egan are formally being investigated by police. To say they are irrelevant is bullshit. It goes to the heart of the character of the man. If he is proven to be a fraudsters and embezzler, you don't reckon that counts towards his trustworthiness and believability?

Exactly. Some here just desperately want to see clarkson get torched without an opportunity to defend himself or question the author of the review.