Former Melbourne president Glen Bartlett breaks silence on Demons’ turmoil
Glen Bartlett has allegedly been subjected to threats and a public campaign to discredit him since stepping down as Melbourne president. READ THE EXPLOSIVE STATEMENT
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Ex-Melbourne president Glen Bartlett has released an extraordinary statement claiming he stood down after being thwarted in his fight to keep the club free of “workplace bullying, gambling, harassment and illegal drugs”.
Bartlett claims he and his partner had since been subjected to “threats, deceitful conduct and a public campaign to discredit us”.
SCROLL TO READ BARTLETT’S STATEMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY
The statement is a dramatic escalation in the dispute surrounding the alleged behaviour of senior coach Simon Goodwin.
Breaking his silence on Thursday, Bartlett revealed that he had decided to stand down in April last year because he was “not willing to compromise on fundamental values, the law and expected standards of behaviour”.
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“I know I was not perfect however through my time at the club I treated the welfare of all of our people – from the senior coach to the boot studder – as paramount and was steadfast in my responsibility to be able to look every person (including every parent) in the eye and confirm that I was doing everything possible to have a club free of workplace bullying, gambling, harassment and illegal drugs,” Bartlett says.
“I was truly committed to having the best environment 24/7 for all of our people and I treated everyone with respect. Individual and team performance is a different thing and should never be impeded by managing behaviour or used as a reason to ‘gloss over’ the necessary management of behaviour and conduct.”
Bartlett stood down suddenly after more than eight years in the job amid a secret probe into Goodwin’s alleged conduct.
Ahead of a Supreme Court defamation action against several AFL journalists from The Age and Nine Entertainment, Bartlett stressed that he was not taking legal action against the Melbourne Football Club or its members.
He said he had been left with no choice but to protect his reputation and the welfare of his family.
Bartlett said he had given new Demons president Kate Roffey multiple opportunities to reverse the damage done to him and that AFL bosses had been briefed and “are aware of the bullying conduct and threats made towards myself and my partner and the impact on our health and wellbeing”.
Bartlett said he had stood down with “minimal distraction” last year for the good of the club.
“It is one thing to be subjected to a campaign of leaks, which is bad enough. However, it is entirely another thing to be subjected to a campaign of misleading and damaging and purported leaks calculated to damage me,” he said.
“I spent eight years helping rebuild Melbourne and still hold considerable affection for the club, its members, players and sponsors. I loved my time there and I am immensely proud of what was achieved and look forward to the continued success.
“I was very committed from when I took over in 2013 with Peter Jackson and Paul Roos to drive cultural change across the club.
“This is not always popular; however, leadership is not a popularity contest or about ‘being mates’ in my view.
“I believed in and led with trust, respect, and unity right to the end. In my view, and I said this many times, it is imperative that our people who leave the club are always treated with dignity and respect – in my view the culture of an organisation is defined by the way people leave the organisation whether that be any player or staff member, any coach, the club doctor, or president.”
He said strong club culture was achieved by “embedding the “right behaviours”.
“As president, a workplace/OHS lawyer, and a parent, I was not willing to compromise on fundamental values, the law and expected standards of behaviour,” he said.
“I believe that my approach and the raising of these issues resulted in a campaign against me from various quarters that was inimical with proper administrative governance and taking seriously important though delicate and sensitive matters. It also showed, in my view, a disregard for the health and wellbeing of both me and my partner and our professional and business interests.
“Since March 2021, we have been subjected to threats, deceitful conduct, and a public campaign to discredit us professionally and personally.
“I have also, as noted above and as has been reported, complained about, and had to take action in relation to what I claim to be false and defamatory publications about me. The hurt and distress and damage caused by these publications is aggravated by the fact that they are published on the internet and that previous articles are not only present and remain on the internet but are also hyperlinked to in later articles.
“The cost has been great, in particular to our health.
“ … Having left the board last November 2021, threats towards myself and my partner were made even in February and March of this year. We have sought undertakings that the threats and contributions to defamatory publications stop – these undertakings have not been forthcoming.”
The view peddled in the aftermath of Bartlett’s exit as president was that he had lost the support of the football department and most board members after he had publicly lambasted the team in mid-2020.
But the Herald Sun revealed in February this year that from late 2020 until his departure, there had been a major disagreement between Bartlett and other senior club figures, including CEO Gary Pert, regarding concerns about alleged bullying and behavioural issues involving senior coach Simon Goodwin.
In February 2021, the board even considered standing down Goodwin, amid a major investigation.
AFL chiefs Gillon McLachlan and Richard Goyder met with Bartlett and another Melbourne director, Mohan Jesudason, to discuss the crisis.
During the meeting McLachlan offered to read the riot act to Melbourne chief executive Gary Pert amid concerns he would “undermine” the investigation into the behaviour of Goodwin.
Goyder said if he was the president he would not be waiting any longer to confront Goodwin.
Goyder is reported to have described the matter as “very serious” and “ needing serious attention and a rapid response”.
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