Former Hawthorn player development manager Jason Burt has taken indefinite leave from his current role at Melbourne private school Caulfield Grammar amid damning allegations against him in the Hawks’ shock racism report.
The disturbing accusations revealed by ABC detail first-hand accounts of the treatment of First Nations players at the Hawthorn during its golden era under four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson.
They include an alleged meeting where Clarkson and then Hawks footy boss Chris Fagan were among Hawthorn coaches who pressured an anonymous player into having his partner’s pregnancy terminated for the sake of the player’s career.
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The accusations against Burt include him informing another player his wife had miscarried, which came after the club separated the couple while they were expecting.
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Caulfield Grammar principal Ashleigh Martin said Burt has stood down to focus on the AFL’s external investigation into the matter.
“Today Jason Burt advised me of his decision to take an indefinite leave of absence from his role as head of coaching and performance sport, a role that he has been in for three and a half years,” the email reads, per The Age.
Burt departed Hawthorn in 2019 after 12 years at the club including taking over from Fagan as footy boss in 2016.
It comes after both Clarkson, who recently signed a five-year deal to coach North Melbourne, and Lions boss Fagan have both stood down from their roles while the AFL probe takes place.
Clarkson, who’s November 1 start date at the Kangaroos has been delayed, firmly defended himself against any claims of wrongdoing.
Meanwhile the MCC on Thursday said its chief executive Stuart Fox, who was Hawthorn’s CEO from 2010-2016 during the years under review, would stay in his role, claiming the Indigenous players in the report had not incriminated him.
Ex-Hawks president Andrew Newbold has taken a leave of absence as AFL commissioner due a conflict of interest during the league’s investigation.
The accusations come after Hawthorn commissioned an external report following claims made by club great Cyril Rioli earlier this year on how he was treated that ultimately drove him out of the club in 2018.
