Rita Panahi: AFL’s empty virtue signalling exposed

The AFL likes to portray itself as a community leader in promoting “progressive” values but it’s shown a ruthless desire to protect its brand at all costs.

AFL has again and again shown a ruthless desire to protect its brand at all costs. Picture: AAP

The AFL has again demonstrated that its endless bleating about “respecting women” is little more than empty virtue signalling. When it matters most the interests of victimised women are conveniently set aside.

Australia’s pre-eminent sporting organisation likes to portray itself as a community leader in promoting “progressive” values but far from being at the top of the moral totem pole the AFL has again and again shown a ruthless desire to protect its brand at all costs.

For more than six months it has known about serious allegations against North Melbourne’s Tarryn Thomas but failed to take decisive action until the story was splashed on the front page of the Herald Sun.

Until then the women were “counselled” and Thomas was allowed to carry on at the club as if nothing had happened. For North Melbourne and the AFL to describe allegations of family violence as merely “behavioural issues” is inadequate to say the least. It’s little wonder that some of the women impacted felt they were “silenced”.

Tarryn Thomas is taking time away from football after a number of women came forward with serious allegations.

“It’s discouraging to see that the AFL and North Melbourne are aware how many women have (made allegations), yet it is still being overlooked … It feels as though Tarryn is untouchable and the women he has affected have been silenced,” a victim told the Herald Sun.

Another victim summed up the situation succinctly: “The AFL just protect their own, they don’t care.”

The Thomas scandal is just the latest example of the league prioritising its carefully crafted public image above all else, including the protection of traumatised women seeking help.

It’s clear that the primary concern has not been the victims or pursuit of the truth, but damage control. This week the club spoke of the player receiving “respectful relationships education” but you don’t need to undergo such training to know that threatening women, calling them sluts and allegedly engaging in acts of violence and revenge porn are not acceptable.

Many in the AFL world were eager to end the career of Collingwood’s Jordan De Goey for a consensual act with a gal pal at a Bali nightspot, but somehow Thomas’ alleged actions have gone largely uncondemned even after he was charged by police in mid-January for allegedly threatening to distribute an intimate image.

No matter how strongly the AFL promotes itself as a standard bearer of decency and virtue, when it comes to the crunch the league invariably chooses brand protection over integrity.