Race-obsessed AFL media trying to portray Willie Rioli as a victim, rather than a repeat offender

If Willie Rioli is booed this weekend the usual suspects will assume it’s racially motivated, rather than a reaction to his on and off-field antics.

AFL sycophants have wasted little time in pushing a tired old narrative, one they exhausted during the Adam Goodes saga.

Attempts to portray triple-threat-maker Willie Rioli as a victim, rather than a repeat offender, are sadly all too predictable among the race-obsessed AFL media.

Apparently, calling someone a ‘fatty’ or commenting on their illicit drug use is racially intolerant.

AFL sycophants are pushing a tired old narrative in the Willie Rioli saga. Picture: Tim Joy

Add that to the ever- growing list of things that are inherently racist or the latest buzz term adopted by the eternally offended Left including in AFL circles: “Culturally insensitive”.

And, you can be sure if Rioli is booed this weekend in Perth that the usual suspects will assume it’s racially motivated, rather than a reaction to his on and off-field antics i.e. making threats against multiple players.

The Rioli matter was all but done and dusted until Port Adelaide released a ridiculous statement stating his “actions were totally unacceptable” but then sought to minimise his culpability by arguing that “on field comments that may not seem racial on the surface, can be interpreted as racist to a First Nations or Multicultural person who has endured systematic racist comments since they were young enough to recall”.

Port Adelaide’s ridiculous statement sought to minimise Rioli’s culpability. Picture: Getty

Oh really?!

As a multicultural person, and there’s no need for the word to be capitalised, can I kindly ask that you do not paint all of us as hypersensitive victims with poor impulse control.

Only those guilty of the bigotry of low expectations would seek to make such excuses on the grounds of race or ethnic background.

Port Adelaide chairman David Koch went one further and directly accused the Bulldogs of subjecting Rioli to “cultural disrespect”.

“It was, if you like, cultural disrespect during the game, referring to where he had come from, community habits and things like that,” Koch said.

“As an industry, we have to be aware of that … it helps us understand the build-up and frustrations.”

The only one who took a stand against this gaslighting was Bulldogs’ coach Luke Beveridge who called out Port for “enabling” Rioli’s poor behaviour.

For that he was attacked by segments of the media, the same unaccountable segments that condemned Brisbane coach Chris Fagan and North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson as monstrous racists after the leaking of the deeply flawed Hawthorn racism report.

Deja vu all over again.