AFL news: Hawthorn CEO Justin Reeves breaks silence on Cyril Rioli saga

Hawthorn chief executive Justin Reeves has spoken for the first time on the Cyril Rioli saga engulfing the club, revealing what the Hawks’ current Indigenous players felt.

Hawthorn’s three indigenous players have all told the club they feel “culturally safe” as the fallout from Cyril Rioli’s heartbreaking retirement triggers a pledge to create a more inclusive environment.

Chad Wingard, Jarman Impey and Tyler Brockman reassured Hawks powerbrokers on Friday night that they would flag concerns should they ever arise, and felt confident they would be acted upon.

Rioli recently told new coach Sam Mitchell there was “a need for change” at Hawthorn.

“I’m just so disappointed in the lack of support and the gaslighting that happened at the end of my career,” Rioli said in that text message.

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The Hawks are now canvassing past and current players, community leaders and the AFL to help “build a stronger future” at Waverley.

“The past four days has been a time of reflection for our club,” chief executive Justin Reeves said on Tuesday.

“A time to continue to listen and learn. We have spoken to our current First Nations players who have said they feel culturally safe at the club.

Hawthorn boss Justin Reeves has broken his silence on the Cyril Rioli saga.

“They have also said they are confident that our environment is one where they could use their voice if they needed to raise concerns and that those concerns would be acted upon.

“But we cannot assume that has always been the case.

“We will continue to have conversations with a range of past and current players, community leaders, the AFL and experts in this space so we can build a stronger future.

“Through these conversations, we will look to identify and offer support to those who may be in need. It is important that we dedicate the appropriate resources and time to this process.

“We are committed to learning from our past and we will always seek to be better.”

Several of Rioli’s premiership teammates contacted by the Herald Sun were unaware of his unhappiness at Hawthorn.

But they agreed there was clearly an issue at the club and stressed they were unqualified to think otherwise.

Xavier Ellis says Hawthorn had always been a diverse club in his time. Picture: AAP

Multiple Hawks champions also regrettably revealed they had lost all contact with Rioli in recent years.

They were devastated by reports that he had been driven out of the AFL prematurely by episodes of internal racism.

“I’ve never walked in Cyril’s shoes or (wife) Shannyn’s shoes, so my opinions are quite irrelevant,” 2008 premiership star Xavier Ellis told the Herald Sun on Monday.

“I love Hawthorn Football Club and it’s sad that Cyril seems to have lost that love that he once had.

“If that can be rectified over the years I’m sure it would be great to reunite the two.”

Indigenous leaders Chance Bateman, Lance Franklin, Shaun Burgoyne and now Wingard have all enjoyed their time at the Hawks.

In 2018 Wingard was about to follow best mate Jackson Trengove from Port Adelaide to Western Bulldogs until learning there were no indigenous players at Whitten Oval.

That swayed him to sign at Hawthorn.

“It’s a diverse footy club, it was always – in my eyes – open and accepting and diverse,” Ellis said.

Chad Wingard has enjoyed his time at Hawthorn. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

“But there’s obviously an issue that Cyril felt, so if it’s an issue to him then no one else can say it’s not an issue.

“With the leadership at Hawthorn I’m sure they’ll grab a stool, sit, listen and learn from Cyril’s experiences.”

Stand-in skipper Jaeger O’Meara, who spent 18 months with Rioli, said: “He’d walk into the club with a smile on his face all the time and brighten your day as well”.

O’Meara also spoke privately to Wingard about the issue and was satisfied that he and his other two Indigenous clubmates felt “really safe”.

O’Meara praised Hawks indigenous liaison supervisor Brady Gray for educating players.

“We really want to get better. We want to be inclusive and we’ve got three really good Indigenous players here,” O’Meara said.

“They’re like brothers to us and we really want to nurture that and they’re also doing a great job in educating us as well.”

Jaeger O’Meara says he was saddened to hear of Cyril Rioli’s anger at the club. Picture: David Caird

Hawk ‘saddened’ by Rioli’s fractured club relationship

—Marc McGowan

Stand-in Hawthorn skipper Jaeger O’Meara is “saddened” to hear of former teammate Cyril Rioli’s experiences of racism at the club and hopes the Hawks can repair the fractured relationship.

But O’Meara declined to take a position on whether under-fire president Jeff Kennett should immediately stand down despite Rioli refusing to return until the outspoken chairman is gone.

Kennett is expected to move on quickly once his successor is found.

“That’s not up to me,” O’Meara said of Kennett’s tenure.

“I’m a player and I’m the captain of the footy club at the moment while Ben (McEvoy)’s out, but I’ll leave those decisions up to board level. That’s not for a player to decide.”

Coach Sam Mitchell and head of football Rob McCartney addressed O’Meara and the rest of the Hawthorn players on Saturday morning about Rioli’s racism claims and what they were doing to improve.

The Hawks have three Indigenous footballers on their current list – Jarman Impey, Chad Wingard and Tyler Brockman – since all-time great Shaun Burgoyne joined Rioli in retirement last year.

Impey, Wingard and Brockman informed Mitchell and co. on Friday night that they felt “culturally safe” at Hawthorn and that was relayed to the wider playing group, O’Meara said.

“Unfortunately, I had only about 18 months with Cyril and I love the bloke,” O’Meara said.

“He’s a very, very loveable character. To see those comments (about racism) really saddens you, as a fellow player and someone who played alongside him.

“He’d walk into the club with a smile on his face all the time and brighten your day as well.

“There’s a bit of a torn relationship there at the moment with Cyril and Shannyn (Ah Sam-Rioli), so I’m really hopeful the football club can put some steps in place to rekindle that relationship.”

O’Meara also spoke privately to Wingard about the issue and was satisfied that he and his other two Indigenous clubmates felt “really safe”.

The star midfielder was confident Mitchell’s passion for change in this space and the work the club’s Indigenous liaison supervisor Brady Gray was doing would make a difference.

“We’re really trying to get better in the space and I think all clubs are, so we’ve got Brady, who’s doing a really good job,” he said.

“The main thing he’s doing is educating our playing group on this space and we really want to get better. We want to be inclusive and we’ve got three really good Indigenous players here.

“They’re like brothers to us and we really want to nurture that and they’re also doing a great job in educating us as well.”

Jaeger O’Meara and his teammates walk off after their one-point loss to Carlton.

HAWKS EXPECT KENNETT TO GO QUIETLY

Jon Ralph

Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett has made a commitment to move on quickly once a successor is chosen as the Hawks resist calls for a full-blown investigation into Cyril Rioli’s claims of racism.

Kennett has accepted the club’s plea to keep a low profile and not respond publicly to Rioli’s allegations, which formed a key part in his decision to retire prematurely in 2018.

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Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett and coach Sam Mitchell in Round 1. Picture: Michael Klein

But while he has no plans to step down before the Hawthorn nominations committee selects a successor by June 30, he will then move on after a transition period.

The Hawks for Change group had feared he might attempt to cling to power until the end of his tenure next year.

The nominations committee has only met once but will now ramp up its work to find the next Hawks president.

New board member Ian Silk is seen as an unlikely successor at this stage.

The committee will consider candidates including director Owen Wilson, as well as external figures.

That nominations committee is made up of chairman Peter Nankivell, club veteran Andy Gowers, Geoff Harris, Katie Hudson, Anne-Marie Pellizzer and club great Don Scott.

The Hawks for Change group has been calling for Kennett to resign after the latest storm.

Gowers had agreed with Kennett to shelve board ambitions to be the head of that committee but Hawks vice president Peter Nankivell has instead been handed that role.

A Nine newspaper group story claims Rioli and his wife, Shannyn, were disturbed by a Kennett quip about her ripped jeans at the Launceston Airport in 2018, which formed a key part of their decision to move back to Darwin.

Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley on Monday said a Do Better-style report into the club’s past — as conducted by the Pies — might help instruct future steps.

But at this stage Hawthorn is intent on showing Rioli how much the club has changed instead of examining every detail of past misdemeanours.

The most damaging allegation was that a player asked if an Indigenous player’s wife was also a “boong” on a 2013 end-of-season trip.

Cyril Rioli and wife Shannyn Ah Sam-Rioli at the 2016 Brownlow Medal.

Key figures at Hawthorn were aware of Rioli’s allegations but have been working hard behind the scenes to show him the club’s progress.

The club’s relationship with Rioli remains complicated.

Kennett’s comments upset both Rioli and Shannyn, with his penned apology also seen as insufficient.

But when Rioli left Hawthorn a four-time premiership player at 28 years of age he seemed happy with his career and made clear he was content to retire after coming to Melbourne in his early teens.

The Hawks believe it is more constructive to attempt to continue working to repair their relationship with Rioli than commission a top-to-bottom review.

Buckley told SEN Radio on Monday Collingwood’s Do Better report had been positive.

“We said at the time we believe the journey we are on is a journey every organisation is on,” Buckley said.

“And that is owning the shortfalls and errors of the past and learning and listening and being educated to make sure it doesn’t persist.

“Collingwood is an example, Hawthorn is an example and I reckon every organisation is or needs to go through that.

“You just don’t know the impact it has had on minority people and in this sense its Indigenous people in a white privileged environment.”

Originally published as AFL news: Hawthorn CEO Justin Reeves breaks silence on Cyril Rioli saga