Eddie Betts racism row: Adelaide Crows, AFL greats back star after ‘disgusting racial attack’ on social media

Some of football’s biggest names, including former teammate Patrick Dangerfield have rallied around Adelaide Crows star Eddie Betts after he was once again subjected to racial abuse by a “coward” on social media.

Indigenous AFL star Eddie Betts has been subjected to a racist slur on social media.

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Some of football’s biggest names have rallied around Adelaide Crows star Eddie Betts after he was racially abused on social media.

Betts, 32, re-posted a picture from Adelaide Football Club’s official Instagram account which showed him and Hawthorn legend Shaun Burgoyne arriving to play in the AFLX competition on Friday night.

Next to the picture he circled in red a comment which read “monkey see monkey do” that had been posted on the photo from a user calling himself ferris.pete.

Betts — widely viewed as one of the game’s great Aboriginal players, and one of the greatest small forwards in AFL history — posted a statement with the screengrab that read: “When will it stop why can’t we just play footy. Why can’t we just all get along.”

The offensive comment circled in red and Eddie Betts' response on his Instagram page.

Port Lincoln-born Betts, a father of four, has repeatedly been racially vilified throughout his 295-game AFL career.

The user later deleted the comment and his own Instagram account amid universal condemnation and an angry backlash.

Betts’ comments drew strong support from his club, who publicly condemned the “abhorrent and disgusting” attack.

The post was immediately shared by AFL superstars including Geelong Brownlow Medallist Patrick Dangerfield, 28, a former Crows teammate, who described the comment as “disgusting, cowardly, racist”.

Patrick Dangerfield and Shaun Burgoyne playing during the AFLX tournament in Melbourne, on Friday … both have condemned the attack. Picture: AAP Image/Daniel Pockett

Burgoyne, 36, also responded on Instagram and Twitter, thanking Dangerfield for his public stance and describing the comment’s author as “just a coward sitting behind a keyboard”.

Betts also received support from former Port Adelaide skipper Travis Boak and the Power’s director of Aboriginal programs Paul Vandenbergh who just last week hosted Betts and more than 70 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players at the AFL’s Indigenous All Stars Summit.

A key pillar of the summit which included AFL chief executive Gill McLachlan was working with non-Aboriginal club officials to share with and educate them about their culture.

“We have to speak up because the day we don’t speak up for things that matter is the day our freedom truly ends. It starts with every single one of us drawing a line in the sand and saying enough is enough.” Vandenbergh wrote on Twitter.

AFL Players’ Association boss Paul Marsh joined the dischord, tweeting: “more disgraceful, cowardly, racist behaviour directed at one of our game’s finest people.”

“There is simply no excuse for this garbage.

“Our indigenous players deserve so much better.”

Former player and media personality Ryan Fitzgerald noted the account in question had disappeared in the wake of the furore.

“See the coward has deleted his Instagram account. Faceless and racist, lowest of the low.”

We strongly condemn any form of racial vilification and consider such behaviour abhorrent and disgusting #weflyasone

— Adelaide Crows (@Adelaide_FC) February 23, 2019

The Crows released a statement late on Saturday night saying “we strongly condemn any form of racial vilification and consider such behaviour abhorrent and disgusting”.

“An offensive social media comment directed at one of our players reinforces the need for everyone to play a role in eradicating racism from not just our game but the wider community,” it said.

Adelaide chief executive Andrew Fagan said it was “disturbing that racism still existed in football and society”.

“In listening to our playing group and our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players in particular, it is clear how damaging and impressive, inspirational racism is to them and their families,” Fagan said.

“Put simply it must stop and all of our players, coaches, staff and board are united in our stand against such cowardly behaviour.”

Last year, Betts was subjected to another racist comment on Instagram when a user wrote “why with a monkey” on a photo of him with a Fremantle fan in Perth, and in 2017 both he and Port Adelaide’s Paddy Ryder were racially abused during a Showdown at Adelaide Oval. In 2016 Betts also had a banana thrown at him during a Showdown.