Rita Panahi: The AFL must block any move by St Kilda to recruit Tarryn Thomas

It’s time the AFL lived up to the standard it demands of the community and block any move by St Kilda to recruit Tarryn Thomas – anything else is an insult to female victims and makes a mockery of the league’s activism.

The AFL and its clubs love preaching about social and political issues, including the treatment of women, but when it comes to the crunch the virtue signalling often gives way to shameless hypocrisy.

It was only three months ago when every AFL club took a stand against gender based violence.

Before each game players, coaches and umpires gathered at the centre of the ground for a moment’s silence for female victims.

We were told the league would take a zero tolerance approach to the issue of violence against women.

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said: “When it comes to violence against women, the only acceptable figure is zero … we are committed to continuing to educate, to take action and even more conscious of that we must work harder than ever. All men are responsible for doing better.”

The Saints are considering recruiting former North Melbourne player Tarryn Thomas. (Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)

So you can imagine my shock when I read this week that St Kilda were contemplating recruiting Tarryn Thomas, a man with a horrendous record, who the AFL suspended for 18 matches earlier this year after finding he had “engaged in multiple acts of misconduct including threatening a woman via direct messages multiple times”.

Yet, being found guilty of inappropriate behaviour towards a woman doesn’t seem to be a deal breaker for the Saints whose head of talent and acquisition, Graeme Allen, met with Thomas this week.

Neither does the fact that Thomas, also known as Tarryn Trindall, has a pending court case after being accused of using a “telecommunications service to harass and breaching a court order”.

Last year Thomas was lucky to cop not much more than a $1000 penalty for threatening to spread intimate videos of a woman.

Magistrate Julie Grainger told Thomas she had high hopes that he would become “a mentor for young Aboriginal men”.

“This matter will be diverted out of the criminal justice record. You won’t have a searchable criminal record and hopefully this will be your last appearance in court,” she said.

It’s time the AFL lived up to the standard it demands of the community and blocked any move by St Kilda to recruit Thomas.

Anything else is an insult to female victims and makes a mockery of the league’s activism.

The AFL has long promoted itself as a standard bearer of decency and virtue but too often it prioritises image, brand protection and short term gain over doing what is right.

Rita Panahi is a Herald Sun columnist