Eddie McGuire slams calls for Hawthorn to be stripped of draft picks for racism investigation

Eddie McGuire has hit back at a shock call to punish Hawthorn harsly for its handling of the racism investigation.

Eddie McGuire doesn't think Hawthorn should be stripped of draft picks.

Eddie McGuire has criticised calls for Hawthorn to be stripped of draft picks for its investigation into racism at the club.

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan announced last week the Hawthorn racism investigation was over and no “adverse findings’’ were found against former Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson, former club football manager Fagan and former welfare boss Jason Burt.

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In turn, the families agreed not to take legal action against the league.

The families, who had been determined to receive an apology from the former Hawks trio, were instead given a generic apology by the league to any Indigenous player who had suffered racism in the history of the game.

An open letter penned by four of the families associated with the club’s ongoing racism saga, alleges that they were victims of racism, and also includes allegations of forcible separation.

Clarkson, Fagan and Burt have denied all the claims made in media reports and the open letter.

Hawthorn is likely to face some sort of sanctions for the handling of the investigation into allegations of mistreatment made against Clarkson, Fagan and Burt.

The AFL made no adverse findings against the trio, but McLachlan has flagged the league may still charge the Hawks for bringing the game into disrepute.

The AFL could still sanction the Hawks. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Speaking on Nine’s Footy Classified, journalist Damien Barrett said anything short of the Hawks losing draft picks would be just a slap on the wrist.

“I think without a proper sanction, a non-fine sanction, it’ll just be a wet lettuce leaf outcome,” Barrett said.

But McGuire said a financial sanction would be more likely, and appropriate, than draft picks being stripped from the Hawks.

“They had a problem, they investigated it,” McGuire said.

“Now, OK, it might’ve gone off the rails there, but I don’t think they did anything intentionally wrong,” he told Nine’s Footy Classified.

“To me, draft picks doesn’t seem like the right thing. Why are you punishing what’s going forward? The president is gone, there was a board upheaval directly about this, the chief executive who was in charge of it is gone, they’ve had horrific reputational damage.

“I just think sometimes in football these days, it doesn’t matter how many times you apologise, when is the end of these things? When can you put a full stop on?

“I don’t think it (the AFL penalty) should affect them going forward. The football team and the members, they had nothing to do with this.

Eddie McGuire doesn't think Hawthorn should be stripped of draft picks.

“I think the intention was the right intention, the fact that they mucked it up, OK you can sort that out, but that’s an administration issue.”

Essendon great Matthew Lloyd suggested the AFL might want to make an example out of Hawthorn given the fallout of the racism saga.

“Do you think the AFL will look to make it the opposite, and they need to make a statement here?” Lloyd said.

“They’re not going to get Clarkson, they’re not going to get Fagan or Burt, but somebody’s got to pay for this, and it will be Hawthorn.”

It’s unclear when the AFL would hand down a sanction, while the families involved in the Hawthorn’s racism investigation take their case to the Human Rights Commission.

Originally published as Eddie McGuire slams calls for Hawthorn to be stripped of draft picks for racism investigation