AFL 2021: Adam Goodes knocks back Australian Football Hall of Fame honour

The AFL and thousands of footy fans are to blame for a “shameful” situation where a champion won’t accept a Hall of Fame nomination, writes Mark Robinson.

Adam Goodes has knocked back an offer to be inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame. Picture: AAP

The most heartbreaking response to Adam Goodes rejecting his induction into the Hall of Fame is the belief by some that he must move on, that it happened a long, long five years ago.

To put it bluntly, they think: “Get over it, Goodesy”.

But how naive are people to the scarring pain felt by the Sydney Swans champ?

This is not Goodes’ issue. This is a football issue. Our issue.

The finger should be pointed at the AFL and at the thousands of footy fans who treated Goodes with disdain and, in part, for creating a relentless pile-on by a racially-charged mob.

It was shameful.

There are different levels of shame in football and history will, or should, record the booing of Goodes as the low mark for the treatment of one of its own.

The mob mentality won and too many important people didn’t take a stand.

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The AFL has admitted it did not do enough for Adam Goodes in the final years of his decorated career.

Goodes did not return a call on Monday and who can blame him, for he has shredded football from his life.

The game turned its back on him, and Goodes has now turned his back on the game. He is not at fault there.

It was five years ago when Goodes was hustled into retirement, a broken man, after suffering 18 months of relentless booing and being subjected to persistent racial abuse.

Fans hated how he called out a teenage girl at the MCG for calling him an ape — like, how dare you, Goodes.

A year later, they hated how he used his platform to speak out when named the Australian of the Year — like, how dare you politicise the appointment.

Shame is everywhere. Or should be.

The two-time Brownlow medallist was a unanimous first-year selection by Australian football’s Hall of Fame committee.

When told of his induction, Goodes simply said: “No thanks.”

Great mate Michael O’Loughlin is supportive of Goodes’ position, but admits he harbours anger and disappointment.

“The amount of trauma that guy went through,’’ O’Loughlin said.

The two-time Brownlow medallist left the game a broken man.

“It’s scarring, I don’t know what the word is, but that’s all I can think of right now.

“I knew what the answer was going to be.

“I’m disappointed, I’m angry, I’ve mixed emotions about all of it.

“Because AFL footy has changed my life, my family’s life and my community’s life forever and yet it has scarred and hurt and left incredible trauma for my best mate at the same time.’’

The AFL’s position in this is akin to walking on egg shells.

It has previously conceded it did not act quickly enough to denounce the booing.

And, in a move they’d likely want back, chief executive Gill McLachlan apologised to Goodes in a letter to football in the AFL’s annual report of 2015.

They also apologised in 2019 — four years too late.

In a statement on Tuesday, AFL chairman Richard Goyder said: “The treatment of Adam in his final years at AFL level drove him from football. The AFL and our game did not do enough to stand with him at the time, and call it out.

“The unreserved apology that the game provided him in 2019 was too late, but, on behalf of our commission and the AFL, I apologise unreservedly again for our failures during this period.

“Failure to call out racism and not standing up for Adam let down all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players, past and present.

“We hope that there will be a time in the future when Adam will want to be connected to the game again.

“This is a decision for Adam and Adam only and we understand and respect his choice.”

O’Loughlin, a premiership teammate of Goodes at the Swans, shares his mate’s pain.

Goodes marks the 20-year anniversary of when Nicky Winmar took a stance against racism in the AFL. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“The lack of support and the lateness of that support from headquarters … if they had their time over again, they would do it differently in my view, and that’s purely my view,’’ he said.

“It’s a shame one of the greatest players of all time doesn’t watch the game.

“That’s sad, that’s a blight on the game.

“Many years now after retirement, we should be celebrating this guy who has won every accolade there is to be win.

“And you go to every Indigenous community … if they could build a statue of Adam Goodes in every community, they would build one.”

Asked if Goodes would ever change his mind, O’Loughlin said: “At some point, who knows, it might not be forever, I don’t know.”

From now to then, football can blame itself.

AFL responds to Goodes’ Hall of Fame rejection

Adam Goodes has rejected an offer to be inducted into Australian Football’s Hall of Fame.

Eligible after being retired for five years, Goodes – who was booed out of the game in 2015 – was a unanimous first-year selection for induction by the hall of fame committee.

But Goodes has informed the AFL he won’t be accepting the honour.

The AFL confirmed on Tuesday Goodes had notified AFL Commission Chair Richard Goyder earlier this year that he would not accept induction into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

The AFL said it was hopeful Goodes would one day “want to be connected to the game again”, but it respected his decision.

“Adam remains a great champion and leader of our game who has given more to our sport than he received in return,” Goyder said in statement.

“The treatment of Adam in his final years at AFL level drove him from football.

“The AFL and our game did not do enough to stand with him at the time, and call it out.

“The unreserved apology that the game provided him in 2019 was too late, but, on behalf of our Commission and the AFL, I apologise unreservedly again for our failures during this period.

Goodes was booed by fans for the last 18 months of his career.

“Failure to call out racism and not standing up for Adam let down all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players, past and present.

“We hope that there will be a time in the future when Adam will want to be connected to the game again.

“This is a decision for Adam and Adam only, and we understand and respect his choice.

“ … Adam had asked the AFL to wait before announcing his decision, which has now been made public separately.

“Adam was clear he did not want his decision to detract from the moment for the 2021 inductees.”

Goodes’ reasons for not accepting the honour stems from one of the most controversial and ugliest episodes in AFL history.

Booed by fans for the last 18 months of his career, and tormented by persistent racial abuse, he departed the game a broken man.

Friends say he does not watch or attend AFL games.

Asked in an interview in March, 2020, if his feelings towards footy could change, Goodes told the Guardian: “They haven’t yet done, so …”

He added: “It’s only been four years. Who knows? They do say time heals.”

It hasn’t healed yet.

Goodes points into the crowd alerting security to comments made by a teenage spectator during the 2013 clash with Collingwood. Picture: AFL Media

Criticised for not supporting Goodes earlier in the booing drama which divided the nation, the AFL belatedly apologised to the dual Brownlow medallist in its 2015 annual report.

“By the time Adam retired, he had been subject to a level of crowd booing and behaviour that none of our players should ever face,’’ league chief executive Gillon McLachlan wrote.

“As a game, we should have acted sooner and I am sorry we acted too slowly.’’

Two years earlier, Goodes gained national headlines when he called out a teenage girl for calling him an ape at a match against Collingwood at the MCG.

Former Pies president Eddie McGuire apologised to Goodes after the match and then days later on his morning radio program playfully suggested Goodes should be used to promote the musical King Kong in Melbourne.

In the face of widespread condemnation of McGuire, the AFL did not punish the then Collingwood president for the remark.

The incident occurred 12 months before Goodes was named Australian of the Year, an honour which also sparked controversy.

Goodes, who played in two Sydney premierships in his 372 games, also declined a lap of honour on Grand Final day for retired players in 2015.

Two documentaries were made about Goodes’ final years in football, The Final Quarter and The Australian Dream.

The AFL and Goodes were contacted for comment.

Originally published as AFL 2021: Adam Goodes knocks back Australian Football Hall of Fame honour