Collingwood settles wrongful dismissal claim from former staffer

Collingwood has settled a wrongful dismissal claim brought by a former First Nations strategist who accused club CEO Craig Kelly of a series of racial slurs and attacks.

Collingwood has settled a wrongful dismissal claim brought by a former First Nations strategist who accused club CEO Craig Kelly of a series of racial slurs and attacks.

The Pies confirmed an out-of-court settlement had been reached on Monday with ex-staffer Mark Cleaver.

“Mark Cleaver and the Collingwood Football Club announce that the legal proceedings have been resolved,” a joint statement released by the club and Mr Cleaver said.

“It is requested that Mark’s privacy be respected and the parties have agreed not to make any further statements.”

The Herald Sun revealed in June that Cleaver had demanded at least $250,000 to drop his claim before Collingwood came back during mediation talks with a settlement offer of about $20,000.

It is not known if the settlement included a payment.

The Pies have settled a wrongful dismissal claim brought by a former staffer who accused club CEO Craig Kelly of a series of racial slurs and attacks. Picture: Mark Dadswell

The scandal saw Dardi Munwurro, an Indigenous family violence group, dump the club as a partner – “effective immediately”.

In explosive court documents filed in the federal court, Kelly was accused of a series of slurs on Indigenous people, Asians and Jews, as well as physical attacks.

An internal Pies probe cleared Mr Kelly of wrongdoing.

Defending the club’s handling of Mr Cleaver’s complaints and his subsequent sacking, Collingwood president Jeff Browne declared in June: “We’re backing Craig Kelly in on this and we intend to fight these proceedings and see them through to a judgment.

“I’m not prepared to compromise the proceedings by paying any amount of money to make it go away.”

The Pies confirmed an out-of-court settlement had been reached on Monday with ex-staffer Mark Cleaver.

Mr Cleaver had alleged in court documents that Mr Kelly had described Aboriginal elder Aunty Carol – the wife of Dardi Munwurro chief executive Alan Thorpe – as a “dumb old bitch”.

Dardi Munwurro has had a partnership with Collingwood since 2017.

The court documents also detailed how Mr Kelly was accused of joking about putting a “live f---ing possum” in a special room at the club for Indigenous players.

And Mr Cleaver, a Palawa person, claimed in the documents that Mr Kelly quipped “why do you need Google Maps, I assume your people can navigate with their eyes closed” and joked about sending a photograph of a ‘Free Palestine’ sign to a Jewish colleague to wind her up.