Hawthorn’s “disturbing” treatment of former First Nations players and their families, revealed in a bombshell report on Wednesday, has been likened to the “Stolen Generation” – and AFL360 co-host Mark Robinson warns more tragic events could be revealed.
Shocking allegations emerged in an ABC report, which included newly-named North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson telling an indigenous player to urge his partner to get an abortion, while another player was separated from his pregnant partner as the club changed his phone SIM and moved him out of his home.
The former Hawks mentor Clarkson has since refuted “any allegations of wrongdoing or misconduct”, while his assistant, now Brisbane coach Chris Fagan, has been granted leave from the Lions as the investigation plays out.
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Speaking on AFL360, Robinson said he was left “really sad” by the damning claims of player mistreatment, as co-host Gerard Whateley likened the alleged actions to the Stolen Generation.
“It was devastating to read as part of it left you numb, left you appalled – this is not ancient history – this is from the last decade. If this was the 1970s, you would be confronted by it and left to question. This is recent history,” Whateley said.
“And there were layers to it, weren’t there? There were the echoes of the Stolen Generation in there of the separation of families in the name of football, convoys of cars arriving, being marched into a house and taken out and then … clearly the most graphic (allegations) related to the details around abortion and the dreadful cost that that has had over the years on the individual involved.”
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Hawthorn had opted to undertake a review of the treatment of its First Nations players after premiership star Cyril Rioli went public with allegations of racism back in April.
“It left me really sad … that we are in a situation where it’s 2022 and we are hearing allegations against two well-respected people in the game,” Robinson said.
“They weren’t off the cuff allegations – there were such detail in what happened.
“I’m reading it going – this can’t be true. It has to be made up. And I’m not saying it was made up – but I was so disbelieving. I wanted to not believe. As I sit here tonight, I don’t know the truth but the allegations were in depth. This wasn’t flippant.
“The Stolen Generation analogy is really good. I liken to the slave trade era – where the white people just tell the black people what to think, what to do; white people tell the black people if you can have a child or not.
“Can anyone of us believe that a football coach said to an indigenous player, ‘your partner must have an abortion?’
“If that is true and Alastair Clarkson said that, he will never be seen in the game again.
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“The problem is with that allegation, and I hope it’s not true and I feel for the people like everyone else; we feel for the people who are making these accusations – that accusation sticks. That’s there forever.
“We live in this world now in 2022 where allegations can be made and they talk about: ‘Oh well Hawthorn said this is for the indigenous people to tell their truth, tell their story telling’ – but the people on the other end, they don’t get their chance or opportunity. But it’s already stuck mate! The mud’s there. The allegation that Alastair Clarkson asked a player’s partner to abort their child, that’s there forever.
“This story will go around the sporting world – my God. What a horrible day.”
Robinson feared the three players’ experiences, which were detailed on Wednesday, were just the start of the report.
“Kudos to the Hawks – when you launch an investigation, you don’t know what you’re going to get,” he said.
“I can only imagine (Hawks CEO) Justin Reeves (who was not at the club at the time of the allegations) when he got this report – and we’ve only heard a little bit of it.
“The AFL, by the way they were speaking today – I think there’s a lot more to come.
“We’ve heard what, three stories? They’ve interviewed a lot of people so there might be a lot more to come on this.
“I sit here tonight thinking Alastair Clarkson and Chris Fagan probably won’t coach football again. These allegations are so fierce that even if 10 per cent, 20, 40 per cent are proven true, I don’t think we can just move on.
“I don’t think the world’s like that.
“This is a diabolical situation.”
