Hawthorn racism saga: Lawyer Judy Courtin releases statement on behalf of family after Jason Burt interview

The racism scandal engulfing Hawthorn has exploded once again with the accusers hitting out at the Hawks for passing on the investigation to the AFL as fresh allegations come to light.

The Hawthorn racism scandal has exploded amid fresh allegations over former coach Alastair Clarkson’s role in the “forced separation” of a First Nations couple.

In a dramatic escalation of the crisis, lawyers for “Zac” and “Kylie” – a husband and wife caught up in the saga – released a statement detailing the club’s role in facilitating their 2013 break-up after former Hawthorn player welfare manager Jason Burt gave his own version of events on Saturday.

Lawyer Dr Judy Courtin, who represents the Hawks’ couple, detailed how Zac was “visibly distressed and uncontrollably crying” when Clarkson allegedly “dominated and led the discussion” about his “forced separation” from his pregnant partner.

Dr Courtin said that the couple were “disgusted” at how events that had allegedly taken place at Hawthorn were being “downplayed, and in some instances, entirely misrepresented”.

Burt confirmed on Saturday that he, Clarkson and then Hawks footy boss Chris Fagan had gone to the couple’s home when Zac told Kylie that their relationship was over.

But Dr Courtin contradicted Burt on several key points, alleging that the day before that discussion Burt had invited Zac’s mum to a meeting to “discuss and plan” the “separation” – without ‘Zac’s knowledge.

READ THE STATEMENT IN FULL BELOW

Alastair Clarkson and Chris Fagan in 2015. Picture: Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty Images

“Burt says that: ‘It wasn’t a pretty discussion and ‘Zac’ came and delivered the news’. That is incorrect. ‘Zac’, visibly distressed and uncontrollably crying, barely spoke in that meeting and it was Clarkson who dominated and led the discussion,” Dr Courtin said.

A view of some close to the AFL investigation has been that some of Clarkson’s conduct has been unfairly characterised as racism, given his hard-nosed approach to all of his players.

Clarkson, Fagan and Burt have denied any wrongdoing.

The Clarkson camp said on Saturday night it was aware of Dr Courtin’s statement, but declined to comment.

The war of words comes as AFL chiefs scramble to find a resolution in the almost nine-month-long racism storm.

Dr Courtin is already preparing a civil court action against Hawthorn over the claims.

She said her clients maintained Burt and Kylie’s mum were “outside the house and not privy to the majority of the conversation inside with Clarkson, Fagan, Zac and Kylie.”

She also claimed that correspondence from the time speaks to a conversation between Burt and Kylie with Burt saying the separation was not “instigated by Zac, rather by Clarkson”.

The lawyer’s statement quotes Kylie as saying: “Not once had Jason said Zac wanted to end the relationship, in fact it was reiterated to me as entirely the opposite.”

She also said Burt contradicted himself in the interview when he said he, Clarkson and Fagan had met in a corridor when all three decided to go to the meeting at Zac and Kylie’s house.

Burt also told Nine: “In the process, Clarko said: ‘I’ll come’. Fages said: ‘I’ll come’. I said: ‘I’m already there’.”

Jason Burt. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Media)

Dr Courtin also claimed Burt knew her clients had become engaged.

Kylie said in the statement: “Jason absolutely knew we were engaged. Zac had distributed engagement party invitations at the club prior to the meeting and after the meeting Burt texted me to see if I needed help cancelling the engagement party.”

Zac also said: “Not only did Burt know that we were engaged, he knew Kylie was pregnant with a planned pregnancy.”

The couple have questioned Burt’s expression of regret over what had happened at Hawthorn, detailing their belief that he had contacted Zac’s previous employer and family members after the initial story broke in September last year, seeking “information” on Kylie.

Dr Courtin said the couple had been left with “scars and significant trauma” from the association with Hawthorn, dismissing Burt’s view that they had “left the HFC better people” as “insanity.”

Burt said in the Nine Media interview that he had agreed to accompany the player in going to see his partner to end the relationship.

“At the time I gave this consideration and thought, ‘This is probably edgy’,” he said.

“In the process, Clarko said: ‘I’ll come’. Fages said: ‘I’ll come’. I said: ‘I’m already there’.

“It wasn’t a pretty discussion and ‘Zac’ came and delivered the news.”

He said the addition of Clarkson and Fagan at the meeting with the player and his partner could now be considered “over the top”.

“It probably should have been just me in with ‘Zac’ ... I think that would have been far less intimidating,” Burt said.

This allegation of separation was first aired in Hawthorn’s cultural review conducted last year.

Originally published as Hawthorn racism saga: Lawyer Judy Courtin releases statement on behalf of family after Jason Burt interview