Brooke Cotchin reveals stress of online bullying following AFL hub drama
After Brooke Cotchin’s father slammed the AFL over the impact of her COVID-19 breach, the wife of Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale has defended the club and revealed unknown details of the saga.
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The wife of Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale has defended the club and its handling of Brooke Cotchin’s COVID breach after her father slammed the club and the AFL.
Jane Gale said her husband and Tigers coach Damien Hardwick worked hard to “go in to bat for the Cotchins” after the fallout from a well meaning gift to a day spa.
Brooke’s father Rick Kennedy said the situation was poorly handled and she was “muzzled”.
“For Rick Kennedy to say that Brooke was unsupported is incorrect ... he can say it, but it is simply not true,” Jane told the Herald Sun.
“Brendon and his team, including Damien Hardwick, had to work hard, go in to bat for the Cotchins and provide personal support to Brooke. Let’s just say it was not a quick turnaround by the Cotchins, who threatened to leave the Hub at one point.
“Brooke was gracious enough in the end to take responsibility for the mistake and brave enough to make a public apology.
“She didn’t deserve the public and media outcry. With the support of the club and private support and advice from Brendon, a resolution was found.”
Mrs Gale praised Brooke for speaking out about the toll of online bullying.
“Hopefully, the Cotchins are in a happy place now and forging forward with their three most beautiful children.
“We are all feeling the effects of a strange 2020 and is always best to find some positives,” Mrs Gale said.
Brooke Cotchin was ready to do whatever it took to keep her family together this footy season.
That’s why she didn’t hesitate to fly to Queensland in the first week of July with husband Trent and their three young children.
But what was to be a 32-day stint in the AFL hub has turned into a much longer time away from home. And on top of that, at the end of the same month, she was outed as having breached the strict COVID-19 hub rules.
She posted a picture on her Instagram after visiting a day spa and the fallout was intense.
Richmond received a hefty $45,000 fine ($25,000 suspended) which the Cotchins have offered to pay. AFL website journalist Mitch Cleary was temporarily stood down after he shared a tweet that named Cotchin as the offender.
Cotchin took to Instagram to apologise and explain her error, and also offered support for Cleary.
But the gravity of the situation has caused continuing personal stress and anxiety which Cotchin has candidly revealed for the first time.
“It still haunts me and still sets off my anxiety but from your darkest times come your greatest lessons and I am just trying to take each day as it comes,’’ Cotchin says.
“That being said, I am human and humans are all imperfect.”
Cotchin went on to detail the abuse she has copped. The mum of three — to kids Harper, 5, Mackenzie, 4, and Parker, 1 — boasts more than 36,000 followers but has not posted to her account since apologising on August 3.
Prior to that Cotchin had kept her followers updated by regularly posting pictures and videos of the family’s movements. People have reached out to tell her they miss seeing their bubbly and smiling faces.
“It was a really hard time for not only me but our family,’’ Cotchin says.
“I was in a very bad place for a little while and it took some time to dig myself out.
“Dealing with the lengths of the online bullying was and is something I am learning to try and block out. Some of the vile comments and personal messages were gut wrenching and it breaks my heart that people deal with this on a daily basis.
“On the flip side, I have received so many heartwarming messages that I hope to find the time to reply to because they are a big reason for allowing me to move forward.”
On Friday, Brooke’s father has slammed Richmond and the AFL, claiming they ”muzzled” his daughter after her AFL Covid breach last month.
former Footscray player Rick Kennedy said he was disappointed with how the club and the AFL handled the situation.
“My own view and this is not coming from Trent and Brooke, I think the AFL and Richmond handled it really poorly,” Kennedy said on Triple M.
“They talk today a big game about supporting women and coming in behind and promoting women and what they really did was shut her down and didn’t allow her to go public and take responsibility.
“And that took a few days to work its way through. So I think the disappointing thing from where I sit was that they had a prime opportunity to come out and support a woman in a real live case, rather than just words.”
Kennedy said he had even tried to take on the trolls himself.
“I think the hardest thing is you’re feeling fairly helpless and you’re just trying to support your daughter,’’ he said.
“I’m generally the first one to tell her when she’s made a mistake. It’s the tough times you come in to support your family and your friends.
“Effectively she was muzzled, so people are making comments and having views without having all the facts.
“If you met people face-to-face you generally don’t have those conversations, but it is easy on Instagram or Facebook to have a go.”
Abuse on social media has sadly become more prevalent over the past month in the AFL world, particularly after GWS star Callan Ward revealed he received death threats after a game against Essendon.
Tigers defender Dylan Grimes, also accused of staging for a free kick at a critical stage of a game, endured a similarly torrid experience just last week and two men have been arrested over threats.
“It blows my mind how nasty people can be,’’ Cotchin says.
“I just can’t even imagine taking the time to send such horrible messages to someone nor would it ever cross my mind to, no matter what they did.”
AFL Players Association CEO Paul Marsh said the rise in social media abuse was a concern, and the partners of players don’t deserve to cop abuse.
“I’d first and foremost say the players families are playing a significant role in keeping this season going,’’ he said.
“They deserve to be treated with much more respect because without having them there to support the players and the clubs, we wouldn’t be able to finish this season.
“Any form of abuse on social media is unacceptable and we feel that particularly strongly for a group of people here who haven’t signed up to be part of this industry.”
While Cotchin has been reeling from the events of the past month, she hasn’t had too much time to dwell on it.
With her children in the hub it has been a juggling act between being a hands-on mum and working on the family’s new sock business, Posisocks.
“Most days are the same,’’ she says.
“I homeschool both the girls five mornings a week and I work whenever I can, which is generally when Parker has his daytime nap and after the kids are all in bed.
“We are the only family in our hub so the girls are very good at entertaining themselves so lots of laps of the oval, colouring, playing table tennis and board games. Sequence has been a winner.
“Parker is hands on and loves anything that moves so when he is awake it is go, go, go. The boys and staff have been amazing with the kids so there is always someone happy to engage with them. I am a little hesitant to leave the hub so we spend most days here.
“If Trent has a day off we will generally take the kids for a morning and afternoon swim at the beach to change it up. The staff at Elite have gone over and above for us all so it has been lovely to have some interaction outside of football and the chef, Marco, is the best so we don’t have much reason to leave.”
Cotchin says activities are limited and they only leave the hub to go for a quick swim or walk at the beach, or to grab the odd takeaway coffee or meal.
Other partners can see each other for a maximum of two hours a day but only if it’s for exercise. The strict rules being enforced are in order to keep the competition alive, and all players and their families understand that.
However, she says the time away comes with mixed feelings — happiness at having a way to be together, but also guilt leaving extended family behind. Parker celebrated his first birthday in the hub among the team last month.
“Being away from family is no doubt the most challenging factor of being away, especially with what is going on back home,’’ she says. “Our families play a big part in our lives and not seeing them for months on end is hard especially when they miss special milestones. I think you also carry a little bit of guilt not being home and facing the challenges that they are at the moment.
“Time away really makes you appreciate those you love even more and we will definitely hug them a little tighter once we return home.”
The constant rock for Cotchin is her husband Trent, the Richmond captain and leader who always maintains a level head. He has dealt with his own setbacks in the form of injuries but also rides the lows alongside Brooke.
“Trent always finds the positive in whatever is thrown our way so as always he just takes it in his stride,’’ Cotchin says.
“He is the only one with his family or partner living in his workplace so I think he was a little excited to get to Darwin for Dreamtime (last weekend) and have a few days away from us.
“The club has been extremely supportive of us being here so it really is like one big happy family.
“We probably haven’t given the kids enough credit for how they have adapted.
“They are just happy to be here, to be with Dad and to be with the team is pretty special and something we definitely do not take for granted.
“We try to stick to a routine as best as we can to bring some sort of normality to their lives but it is like one big adventure for them so allowing them to be kids is our focus for now. Although I am a little concerned with what new words or habits they might pick up on.”
Cotchin hasn’t given much thought to the upcoming Brownlow or the Grand Final.
After already experiencing two premierships with the Tigers she knows what lies ahead when September, or in this case, October, rolls around.
“Brownlow has not even crossed my mind. It isn’t something I look forward to so I would be happy to sit this year out,’’ she says.
“I would be happy to see the Grand Final go ahead wherever it may be. To make it through the season after everything the AFL has done to make it possible and see two teams play in a grand final would be incredible no matter what state it is played in.”
LIFE IN THE HUB
Hub life has been far from a holiday for most families.
For Jack and Charlotte Viney it’s been an entirely new experience given their daughter Mila was just nine days old when they packed up and boarded a flight two months ago.
“It has definitely been a challenging introduction into parenthood, that’s for sure,’’ Charlotte says.
“Mila was only nine days old when we left Melbourne and entered the hubs … so it was five days in hospital, four days at home and then onto a plane with the nursery all packed up.”
Baby Viney isn’t the only bub in a hub. Among others are Geelong’s Rhys Stanley and wife Kirsten with baby Sloane, Bulldogs’ Mitch Wallis and wife Emily with baby Charlotte, Collingwood’s Adam Treloar and fiance Kim Ravaillion with baby Georgie, plus Carlton’s Ed Curnow and wife Emily with baby Alice.
Charlotte says it’s tough but the overwhelming feeling is one of appreciation.
“It has been really hard being away from that family support system at home but due to the Melbourne restrictions there are so many new families in the same boat as us who aren’t in hubs,’’ she says.
“As hard as it has been learning the ropes of parenthood while adapting to different situations and environments, we are just so grateful that we are in this situation where the AFL and Melbourne Football Club have supported us and made it possible to stay together as a family throughout this pandemic.”
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