Adelaide Crows dual Norm Smith medallist Andrew McLeod has said his old club is ‘not a place you feel welcomed’

Adelaide Crows legend Andrew McLeod has delivered a critical assessment of his former club, saying he doesn’t feel comfortable walking back into West Lakes. But a former premiership teammate disagrees with his comments.

Adelaide Crows legend Andrew McLeod has said he doesn’t feel welcomed at the club.

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Adelaide Crows great Rod Jameson says he is “enormously comfortable” about how the club welcomes past players and officials following dual Norm Smith medallist Andrew McLeod saying he doesn’t feel comfortable walking back into West Lakes.

It comes after McLeod made a startling assessment of his former club, saying on his ‘Bunji & Brettster’ podcast with Adelaide 36ers legend Brett Maher, he doesn’t feel welcomed at West Lakes.

“I’m one of those guys that if you asked me if I felt comfortable walking back into the football club, I’d say no,” he said.

“It’s one of those things and I’ve had this conversation with a lot of my old teammates that it’s not a place you feel welcomed.”

“You see lots of guys go back to their footy clubs and feel welcomed … for me, the Crows doesn’t really have that vibe.

“It doesn’t have that vibe where you’re really welcomed here and I’ve done some work there.

“It’s not a place you feel like it embraces you as a past player.”

Jameson, a board member and chair of the Crows Past Players and Officials organisation told The Advertiser he had spoken with McLeod on Tuesday afternoon about his comments.

Jameson said he would leave it up to McLeod to elaborate on his comments, but said the Crows’ Past Players and Officials organisation had been recognised as one of the best in the AFL.

“I’m enormously comfortable with what we’ve established with our Past Players and Officials Organisation,” he said.

Adelaide Crows legend Andrew McLeod signing autographs during his playing days.

Furthermore, Adelaide chairman Rob Chapman admitted on Triple M Adelaide he was shocked by McLeod’s admission.

“I don’t know (where it’s come from), I only just found out about it, I love Andrew, we all do,” he said.

“His actions don’t match the words attributed to him, I’ve put a call in to him.”

Chapman added he’s been in contact with some former Crows players today and said they were also stunned by McLeod’s comments.

“I know those comments are at odds with the Past Players committee,” he said.

“We’ve just introduced the father-son and father-daughter process in the club.

“I’ve had every former captain of the club come in and support the club in the hour of need.

“I’m sure we’ll get to the bottom of it with Bunji and it’ll explain itself.

Earlier on Tuesday, Crows board member Mark Ricciuto disagreed with McLeod’s comments in a tweet.

“It’s not the way I feel or Rod Jameson who heads up the Past Players feel or I doubt other players on the committee like Mark Bickley, Peter Caven, Kym Koster or current player Tom Lynch would feel,” he said.

McLeod, who is often recognised as the Crows’ greatest player of all time, and his comments will raise concerns similar to what were raised in the external review at the end of the 2019 season.

Last season’s review, which saw the departure of Scott Camporeale and Brett Burton, was critical of the club’s culture.

Following the review, the club created of a new position of ‘leadership manager’, which was filled by former Richmond player Daniel Jackson.

The Advertiser contacted Andrew McLeod for comment.