Matt Rendell...

[Filthy Fielke]

Re: Matt Rendall...

He was given a hypothetical, Rendell knew it, surely you know this?

The question was asked again by Lyon, hypothetically all things been equal who would you choose? The answer is very simple.

Rendell said after a long pause "it would be a bonus for the aboriginal player". What does that mean?

The was designed so that he would answer it simply, and he could not do so.

It was clearly a set-up question with no correct answer. What would have been an acceptable answer?

Rendell's response was honest: such a hypothetical wouldn't happen in the real world as no two players are the same.

The 'bonus' aspect is indeed somewhat dubious, however it's the kind of sentiment displayed all the time by the media, the AFL and social commentators, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Re: Matt Rendall...

So basically Rendell has had the boot of the AFL placed across his throat for incorrect use of hyperbole.

Yes, it was a pretty extreme example he used, but the whole point of the comment was to express just how badly things could turn out if some kind of intervention wasn't staged to help young indigenous footballers acclimatise to a majorly changed social structure coming from close knit family communities to the 'big smoke'.

Could he have toned it down a bit? Sure.

Is it his fault that he wasn't expressly clear as to what his example meant? No.

He WAS clear on what he meant, when I read the comments I didn't think anything in the way of racist overtones, I genuinely thought of it as an extreme example that he wanted to prevent happening.

Sadly the meaning behind his words was left on the cutting room floor of our local media outlets.

If anyone should lose their jobs I would be pointing fingers at a number of editors and 'journos' (if you can call them that) first.

 

[melissamarie]

Re: Matt Rendall...

I feel so sorry for this man. He was telling the truth.I believe him,he was just too passionate about telling the whole story to be lying and he did look like he was going to cry at one stage. Andrew demetriou is the liar.

As for caro when will she learn to shut the hell up?

The guy is trying to tell the story and she talks over the top of him.so damn rude.

when he said "im sorry if i offended anyone" she says its a copout..whaaaat??

He obviously doesnt feel he has anything to apologize about because what was said was not intended with malice like she was trying to get him to admit. And when he didnt admit it she got shitty coz it didnt work for once.

haha bitch. screw you

 

[Public Enemy No1]

Re: Matt Rendall...

He never implied it.

His comment was an absurd hypothetical about what could happen in the future if more support was not given to young indigenous AFL hopefuls.

Exactly ! It was not a joke it was a hypothetical of what could happen if the AFL dont act.

No great surprise the AFL made a scapegoat from someone from an interstate club. All too familiar
Dipper, Roos and Hirdy made equal or worse comments...All a ok
But the AFL punishes Rendall with his job

And make no mistake this was an AFL directive !

 

[Magma]

Re: Matt Rendall...

it was meant to be an extreme example if nothing was done to help some of the players adapt. not conveying it as such a ridiculous example/situation doesnt make it sound as serious as rendell meant it to be (god that line is worded awfully.)

 

[BomberWatson]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Exactly ! It was not a joke it was a hypothetical of what could happen if the AFL dont act.

No great surprise the AFL made a scapegoat from someone from an interstate club. All too familiar
Dipper, Roos and Hirdy made equal or worse comments...All a ok
But the AFL punishes Rendall with his job

And make no mistake this was an AFL directive !

I'd say it has more to do with those 3 being well known personalities than being about the state that they work in.

But of course, it's all about prejudice against your state isn't it?

Get over yourself, if that bothers you that much, maybe the WAFL should've brought in a Victorian based club into their league 25 years ago in an attempt at national expansion, as opposed to the other way around.

 

[Public Enemy No1]

Re: Matt Rendall...

I'd say it has more to do with those 3 being well known personalities than being about the state that they work in.

But of course, it's all about prejudice against your state isn't it?

Get over yourself, if that bothers you that much, maybe the WAFL should've brought in a Victorian based club into their league 25 years ago in an attempt at national expansion, as opposed to the other way around.

So u admit the AFL's bias...Rendalls 35 years in the business dosn't compare to 'personalities'

And this is the AFL now not your little state tin league comp anymore

 

[BomberWatson]

Re: Matt Rendall...

So u admit the AFL's bias...Rendalls 35 years in the business dosn't compare to 'personalities'

And this is the AFL now not your little state tin league comp anymore

Yes I do admit the AFL's bias, that wasn't the point though, it was you looking to push a completely irrelevant agenda.

And yes this is the AFL now, which spawned from the old VFL, what's your point?

 

[September_Glory]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Riveting television. Just kept getting better and better.

Rendell is either the best actor in the world or he was a man who laid his heart on the table.

Glad Demetriou got served.

And Caro did come off like an AFL crony, clearly she is being fed by someone at AFL HQ, given her "I would've knocked his head off" anonymous source comment.

But let's face it, someone had to play the bad guy. She played her part and it made for even better television.

 

[Defacto]

Re: Matt Rendall...

I'm not normally into the use of the term scapegoat however, I think in this situation I'm prepared to let it out.

Rendell is a scapegoat, because somebody was stupid enough to let the comments made in the meeting he attended with somebody he trusted, joined by somebody else he didn't know out. On top of that, he was stupid enough to be flippant with his comments to demonstrate a point that he believed needed to be made, without thinking of the consequences. All of this, without any evidence of context.

These comments did not need to be aired because of the grey nature of them. You have two parties that believe the comments were made in seperate contexts, though one party was stupid enough to air them. Is it a little bit strange that the party that was stupid enough to air them is the same party that is coming out all guns blazing?

This situation reflects so poorly on the AFL it isn't funny. It shows what a stupid, insulated and self important organisation it is. It is so hell bent on proving what a great job it does for each and every community it has an interest in that in many cases you have to wonder whether the crap you hear is propaganda, nothing more and nothing less.

When I see petro-chems and other chemical companies advertise all the great things they're doing for the environmnet I immediately get suspicious. I have been thinking the AFL might be similar in the way it defines its relationship with indigenous people through its PR department for a while now. This whole episode doesn't do a lot to change my perception of them in that regard.

This has summed the whole thing up perfectly. They made him a martyr. Right before that ad promo came out about it being our game.

They are so desperate to be seen as the all inclusive sport that fights the wrongs in society that they will throw anyone under the bus

 

[azreal]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Err... yes it is.

He's directly implying that in his view 'white people' make better parents than Aborginal people.

Like it or not, thats a racist comment.

It might be a racist viewpoint, but is that his view? You seem to be prejudging the man. He is suggesting that this situation might evolve if we continue to see a high attrition rate of young indigenous draftees. He is not commenting nor passing judgement on parenting styles nor competency but some people read what they want to read.

Example:

If I (as HR manager) say to my employer, "If the State doesnt do somthing soon, its going to get to the point where I will only hire people with one white parent" then what am I saying about black parents? There is a pretty clear implication here that 'race' leads to bad (or good) parenting.

Of course, I think we all know what he was trying to get at re the socio economic divide, problems with some members of remote Indigenous communities adapting to the big smoke etc

Add to that the lack of family support. Moving from central Australia or the Kimberley or the Territory to one of the footy cities is probably one of the largest and most challenging moves for any Australian.

He probably could have said it better and without the racial implications. Dont get me wrong here, Im not suggesting that he is secretly the grand wizard of the Adelaide KKK. It was a poor choice of words, and poor judgement to say it the way he did more than a malicious statement.

Yes he could have said it better, but does the response really match what he has said.

THe response from many has been a massive overreaction. A chance to condemn racism where there was none. The opportunity arose where everyone could thump their chests and proclaim how bad racism is and now a man who had the potential to actually provide some significant help to young indigenous footballers has been lost to the game.

And Caro's performance was utterly embarrassing. Next time, try to listen, think then ask your next question.

 

[Plugger35]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Just finished watching Footy Classified here, interesting stuff.

I've got no doubt that Rendell was telling the truth and it reflects very poorly on the AFL and Demetriou in particular. They've completely ignored the context in which the comments were made and made Rendell a scapegoat by incorrectly inferring he made racist comments and demanding his sacking. Pretty weak from Adelaide as well to just kowtow to the AFL and not let Rendell hold a press conference to explain his comments.

Caro really did make a goose of herself too with her inability to grasp what Rendell said and then trying to make him apologise. Apologise for what? It should be Demetriou and the AFL apologising to Rendell for hanging him out to dry and insinuating that he's a racist.

 

[aussierulesrules]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Exactly, Plugger, exactly.

A couple of top posts, from the Adelaide board, especially the bolded parts:

I have been a crow member since I was a 14 yr old child. I lived down the road from west lakes and I walked to the first game against Hawthorn with my brother and fell in love with this team from Adelaide. I had never been to an AFL game before and it was not a game aligned to my cultural background. I save my pocket money every year to buy a membership a smy parents were not football followers and would not have contemplated buying us a ticket for this game they didn'appreciate.

On the topic of racism, as you have probably gathered from the above I was not born in Australia and have through my life been subject to many racial situations growing up in country Australia in dominant Anglo saxon areas and then on a smaller scale in the city from primarily kids who can be the cruelest. I have grown up and all this has done is made me more proud of my culture and who I am.

I must say though that racism however comes from hatred. I didnt care if anyone used my cultural background as a joke or as a throw away comment growing up if I knew that person had no hatred toward me or my culture. But I always knew the diffrence between someone who believed what they were saying and someone who said it with hatred.

I have never sensed that at all from Rendell. Racism is more than just a reference to culture or colour. It is a hatred. Rendell I can see from the bottom of my heart does not have this in his body.

Tonight for the first time I am ashamed to be a member of the Adelaide Football Club and Steven Trigg. He has unfortunately fallen to the corporate facade which I have felt Demitriou has bought to the game of football since becoming its number one man. This does not stand alone- he is constantly trying to leave his mark on the game by way of rule changes, and perceptions of the AFL system. He is actually turning alot of people off I know. The day the corporation became bigger than the sport was a sad day. At the end of the NAB CUP Demetriou strolled across AAMI stadium a lonely figure. Those in the crowd around me were all saying look at Andrew he is walking around on his own. I think this is unfortunately the way this man is going to leave the game(alone).

After watching and listening to Rendell telling the whole story, I have completely changed my stance on this.

Rendell is the victim of a Klu Klux Klan type assassination. He has been hung for being a racist and it is as clear as day that he is absolutely the opposite.

FFS the man was having a discussion with a friend and suggesting ways to improve the chances of aboriginals from remote locations succeeding at AFL level. His ill-fated comments were nothing more than an exaggerated example of what might happen if nothing is done to improve their chances of succeeding.

He has been treated in a disgusting manner by both the Adelaide Football club and that disgrace that heads up the AFL in Demetriou. They have destroyed a man's 35 year respected career in footy, but those that know him know who are the people who should be ashamed here.

I posted a training report on an internal scratch match just before the NAB cup when I had the good fortune of standing next to Rendell while watching it, and he told me that he was as proud as punch of his pick number 64 in Ellis-Yolmen - who has an Aboriginal father and a Papuan New Guinea mother. The exact opposite of being a racist, both with the selection and pride in him.

Demetriou should be removed from his position for being a liar. Before Rendell had been even asked by Trigg and Chapman about his comments, Demetriou DID make the statement that whoever made those statements should be looking for a new job.

As for Caro Wilson's efforts tonight to ignore what Matty was saying and trying to hang him, you should be so ashamed of yourself. You were trying to destroy the credibility of an honest broken man just to get a headline by ignoring facts. You are a disgrace to the industry and to yourself

Rendell deserved to be supported by his club, not sacked. If Trigg, Chapman and Demetiou had wanted to be PC Nazis and ignore facts, then a reprimand advising him to choose his words a bit better would have sufficed.

The only ones that come out of this disgraceful turn of events with any honour, respect or credibilty are Matty Rendell and Grant Thomas for vigourously and publicly supporting Rendell.

As for the assassins, I hope your consciences bother you as much as they should. If they don't then you are even lesser beings than I currently think that you are.

 

[Keys]

Re: Matt Rendall...

So glad I watched that interview as it was compelling to see such raw emotion rather than the cliched bullshit that we have become accustomed to.

Really feel for Matt rendell as he seemed genuine and has been completely ****ed over by the afl

The great shame of this, is that the afl in their haste to put rendell to the sword for his supposedly racist comments will continue to completely ignore the very real problem rendell was trying to address and one he had a possible solution for. But as usual under the regime of the stupid fat **** demetriou and his ****wit sidekick Anderson its all about window dressing rather than genuine solutions

The reality is that many indigenous players come from a background that is miles away (figuratively and literally) from an afl club environment that they are a higher risk selection at draft time and if something isn't done about it recruiters will become increasingly wary of recruiting such players. Rendell has recognized this and has now unfortunately been hung out to dry for saying so

It's a disgrace how he has been treated

 

[cairo tiger]

Re: Matt Rendall...

footage anyone? dying to see this as a lot are please post so we can comment as well and be aware......

 

[CroCop]

Re: Matt Rendall...

I feel so sorry for this man. He was telling the truth.I believe him,he was just too passionate about telling the whole story to be lying and he did look like he was going to cry at one stage. Andrew demetriou is the liar.

As for caro when will she learn to shut the hell up?

The guy is trying to tell the story and she talks over the top of him.so damn rude.

when he said "im sorry if i offended anyone" she says its a copout..whaaaat??

He obviously doesnt feel he has anything to apologize about because what was said was not intended with malice like she was trying to get him to admit. And when he didnt admit it she got shitty coz it didnt work for once.

haha bitch. screw you

So true

 

[Malifice]

Re: Matt Rendall...

I must admit, im the first to condemn racism when I see it.

But the day comments like this get a bloke fired, is a pretty dark day.

Aside from a dubious implication (almost certainly said to get a point across) there really wasnt much there. Taking into account the blokes work with indigenous footballers (and I particularly note the support he recieved from McLeod) to nail a bloke to the wall for a poorly thought out throw away line lacking any malicious intent is pretty rotten.

Overreactions like these do more harm than help.

 

[manboob]

Re: Matt Rendall...

God damn Caro is condescending. Bloody good interview by the bloke, plain for all and sundry to see what he is talking about.

 

[The_Wookie]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Footy Classified interview is here for those who asked

[youtube]jTh-3-4iIMU[/youtube]

 

[TAITA]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Riveting television. Just kept getting better and better.

Rendell is either the best actor in the world or he was a man who laid his heart on the table.

Glad Demetriou got served.

And Caro did come off like an AFL crony, clearly she is being fed by someone at AFL HQ, given her "I would've knocked his head off" anonymous source comment.

But let's face it, someone had to play the bad guy. She played her part and it made for even better television.

Been thinking about that and I cannot think of any situation or context in what has been revealed that could justify it in any way whatsoever.

Did Wilson even think things through before she decided to go the 'headliner'?

Because all she has achieved is the total undermining of the 'third person's' account and credibility.

Advocating violence as a response because you don't like what you heard or think you heard is not cool.

 

[The_Wookie]

Re: Matt Rendall...

AFL 360 last night on the Rendall sacking

[youtube]7JuzXHQdNzo[/youtube]

 

[R00StaR]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Gee lucky we didnt hang him for it

Good job PC people

 

[captainMyCaptain]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Been thinking about that and I cannot think of any situation or context in what has been revealed that could justify it in any way whatsoever.

Did Wilson even think things through before she decided to go the 'headliner'?

Because all she has achieved is the total undermining of the 'third person's' account and credibility.

Advocating violence as a response because you don't like what you heard or think you heard is not cool.

The AFL clearly needed to stitch up an individual as that is always easier then addressing an issues that isn't an easy fix. And as for the comment by a 3rd person that I would of hit Rendall if I was you - more likely it is case of that person trying to rewrite history to make themselves look better.

 

[BrunoV]

Re: Matt Rendall...

They are still going to screw Rendall with this because of the phrase "throw away line".

It is absolutely clear that he made the one parent comment to articulate a worst case scenario by recruiters would otherwise be out of their depth in dealing with the scenario should action not be taken. This is a very different ting to a throw away line.

I also found that Grant Thomas actually stuffed a bit last night by speaking for Rendall because his words were no where near as convincing as Rendalls yet it seems that Tomas' words were fed into Rendall's mouth.

It is the reason Rendall went with the "I apologise if people are offended". You aren't really sorry about something you didn't say or say as a joke. Rendall didn't say the line as it has been expressed.

Edit: now Rendall's comments are being further butchered by well meaning callers on talk back. Rendall didn't give an opinion and this has nothing to do with political correctness (what they are doing is attempting to excuse Rendall from the comment - he doesn't need to be excused because what he said is in such a different context that he essentially did not actually make the "one parent" comment).

Rendall spoke about a frightening possible reality that people are too scared to admit is true.

Vlad's reaction is akin to a guy bringing a dozen roses home to his wife after spending the afternoon with another woman. It is a blatant overreaction to his own guilt or based on his want to divert attention from the fact that his policies aren't working.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

Re: Matt Rendall...

This is only a story as major as it is because footy hasn't started yet and everyone is bored.

What he said, taken out of context can be seen as racist, when in fact, it isn't.