Eddie McGuire says he will continue to reach out to former Collingwood player Heritier Lumumba
Collingwood president Eddie McGuire revealed he’s tried to get in contact with former player Heritier Lumumba, even trying to meet up with him in his new home of Los Angeles. And he has something to offer the Magpies premiership player.
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COLLINGWOOD president Eddie McGuire says he will continue to “reach out” to aggrieved former player Heritier Lumumba.
McGuire revealed he tried to get in contact with Lumumba in Los Angeles through fellow former Collingwood player Chris Dawes earlier this year to offer him a Magpies life membership.
It comes after the Herald Sun revealed on Tuesday that Lumumba claimed there was an “underbelly” of racism at Collingwood during his tenure.
A contrite McGuire said on Wednesday night he will continue to get on the front foot in the hope of repairing Lumumba’s relationship with the club.
“If Heritier is still feeling the pain, we want to reach out and find a solution,” McGuire said on Footy Classified.
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“Heritier Lumumba was a valued member of the Collingwood Football Club and remains to this day.
“I continually try to reach out to Heritier, in fact earlier this year I was in Los Angeles and tried to find him and bring him home to give him a life membership of the Collingwood Football Club.”
“Chris Dawes stays in contact with him, they played together at Collingwood and then at the Melbourne Football Club, (and) both live in the United States.
“I’m going to try again to reach out.”
One of the Lumumba's claims centred around McGuire’s infamous gaffe in 2013 about Sydney indigenous champion Adam Goodes.
After Lumumba bravely admonished McGuire’s King Kong jibe, he said Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley told him he had thrown “the president under the bus”.
McGuire said on Wednesday night “regrets” that remark.
Asked if he would support a player who spoke out against the club, McGuire said: “We’re all about trying to get a solution, we’re not about defending ourselves.”
The Magpies president believes his club and Richmond’s joint Black Lives Matter stance against racism is “important."
“It’s something that is really important,” he said.
“I’m not big on political statements at the football but I think this a world situation and this is something from within.
“This is something that the players want to do and the clubs are absolutely behind them.”
Originally published as Eddie McGuire says he will continue to reach out to former Collingwood player Heritier Lumumba