AFL to release review into racial policy following bombshell report into Collingwood Football Club
After nearly two years, the AFL has concluded a report critiquing its racial vilification policy – and its impending release has come at a crucial time.
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The AFL is close to completing a lengthy review into its racial vilification policy, which it hopes to release in the coming weeks.
After the issue of racism was thrust into the spotlight following the release of Collingwood’s damning racism report, the AFL confirmed it hoped to soon release a report – and updates – to its racial and religious vilification policy.
The AFL initiated its review into Rule 35 of the AFL’s Player Rules, which outlines the code’s racial and religious vilification policy, in 2018.
Led by the AFL’s general manager of inclusion and social policy, Tanya Hosch, the current review has canvassed the views of multiple stakeholders across the industry.
Commenting on the release of the Magpies’ racism report – and whether there were wider problems within the league – Hosch acknowledged there were areas of the AFL’s systems which were still not “keeping up” with these issues.
“I’m certain that if you did a review into the AFL’s processes you would find areas where our systems are still not keeping up with dealing with these sorts of matters,” Hosch said.
“In fact, it’s not too far away now where we’ll be releasing a report … a review of our vilification rule, which is seeking to address and improve some of those processes.”
The AFL’s racial and religious vilification policy was first launched in 1995 in response to Essendon champion Michael Long’s public stand against on-field racial abuse.
The policy was introduced by the league just months later to manage issues of vilification and abuse relating to race, ethnicity and religion on the football field.
Originally Rule 30 in the AFL Player Rules, the policy was revised to Rule 35 in 2013 and expanded to include other forms of discrimination such as sexual orientation and disability.
Collingwood’s response to incidents of racism was laid bare in a 35-page report, which the Herald Sun published on Monday.
The report found “systemic racism” within the club that “must be addressed if things are to change”.
The AFL Players’ Association planned to review the Collingwood report before commenting on its findings, but said it was a reminder there was still “work to do” in the game.
“We will take the time to review the report in detail before making any specific commentary about it of the Collingwood Football Club, however moments like this serve as a reminder that there’s still much work to do in our industry,” an AFLPA spokesperson said.
“We welcome reports of this nature as they serve as a valuable resource to help the industry shape a more inclusive environment for players, staff, and fans into the future.”
McGuire asked to explain poor choice of words
AFL boss Gillon McLachlan has spoken to Eddie McGuire to clarify the Collingwood president’s labelling of the release of a report which found the club guilty of systemic racism as a “proud day”.
McLachlan on Tuesday praised Collingwood’s “courageous” decision to commission an internal report into racism at the foundation VFL-AFL club.
The league chief executive said he was disappointed at the tone of the conversation about the release of the report, which has focused on McGuire’s bizarre media conference in which he labelled it a “proud and historic day”.
After speaking to McGuire on Tuesday morning, McLachlan said he believed McGuire’s poor choice of words didn’t “reflect the appetite of the club to change.”
He did, however, take aim at McGuire’s use of the word “proud” in his labelling of the report’s findings.
“I spoke to Ed this morning and his intention was to say that he wanted to look forward and embrace the recommendations,” McLachlan said.
“I think the articulations, I didn’t agree with it and I think yesterday was a more sobering and confronting day and we had that conversation.
“We sit here today when we should be talking about the report and the recommendations.
“I would have articulated things (differently) and I think he understands that position and probably agrees with that.
“We had that conversation that at the core of the report it’s about being open and learning and going forward.
“I know from the conversation I had with Ed that he is committed to taking the club forward and implementing those recommendations.”
When asked if McGuire should continue as Magpies president, McLachlan replied: “These are not decisions for me, it’s for Ed and the board and the Collingwood supporters.
“The conversation needs to be about the report and not about individuals.
“It needs to be about the substance of what was done and it was a pretty courageous decision by the board to open themselves up in their history.
“There’s been a forensic account of the history of the Collingwood Football Club and there are 18 recommendations that talk to culture and values and education.
“And that should be the lens, about the accountability of the whole club to deliver on that.”
McLachlan lauded Collingwood for looking inward in an attempt to do better in the future.
“It’s going to require a whole football club to deliver on this,” he said.
“This is a serious undertaking the Collingwood Football Club board’s embarked on and it’s going to require the whole board, the whole club, the footy department.
“And it’s made a commitment on behalf of its supporters.
“This has never been about an individual and needs to be a whole club approach, and frankly a whole industry approach.”
McLachlan said it was up to the entire AFL industry, including the league, to continue making progress in this area.
“There’s a history that goes back a long way,” he said.
I think we are all wanting to have conversations and learn a bit better.
I think all the clubs, our industry, our community has had challenges and part of the journey is to continue to not be defensive about it.
“But to own up and do better all the time.”
Lumumba: Accept racist tag or step down
Heritier Lumumba says Collingwood “must accept that it has been a racist club” and if its leaders such as Eddie McGuire cannot accept this and cannot “radically transform” the way they are viewing the issue of racism then they “should absolutely step down”.
After a damning independent report, commissioned following a series of claims made by Lumumba, which found there was “systemic racism” at the club was leaked to the Herald Sun Collingwood leaders on Monday conducted an extraordinary media conference.
McGuire, who will step down at the end of the year, declared it as a “day of pride” for the Magpies and claimed it proved their commitment to tackling the issue.
McGuire also said “we’re not a racist club” and disputed many of the review’s findings.
Lumumba, who now lives in Los Angeles, said it proved there needed to be a “radical shift” in attitude at Collingwood.
“What we saw yesterday in the media was a complete lack of humility, a complete lack of ownership for as the report states, the serious damage or serious pain that has been inflicted on others,” he said on ABC radio.
He said if leaders such as McGuire could not do this then they needed to step down.
“I think if individuals, as leaders, people who are faces of the club such as Eddie McGuire are unable to radically transform the way they are viewing or interacting with the issue of racism either public or privately then they should absolutely step down,” he said.
“They have had a long time to get this right, I was raising issues directly to them back in 2013.
“You had Leon Davis who predates me and was the first indigenous player to play for the length he did and he did amazing things for the football club, he was raising the issues from his early days and nothing was done.”
He said the report backed up his claims.
“To see that an independent review has been done, where a report has clearly outlined, extensively outlined that the Collingwood Football Club is guilty of systemic racism, absolutely does back-up all of my claims and also the claims of the countless other people that have had incidents of racism with the Collingwood Football Club,” Lumumba said.
Lumumba said his lawyers had asked for the report for six weeks as they work on a lawsuit against the AFL and Collingwood for “failing to protect him from racism”, but the Pies had rejected their requests.
He called on his former club to accept the mistakes and failings it had made in the area.
“The Collingwood Football Club must accept that it has been a racist club,” he said.
“It must accept that it has been a leader in racism when it comes to Australian sport and it must own that history.
“What the Collingwood Football Club has to do is it has to own its past, it has to own the fact that it has a racist history and it has led the way in racism, as the report outlines clearly.”
He said once it did that then there would be a chance he may reconnect with his former club.
“So once it owns it past, once there is a level humility that is shown, when the rhetoric changes from ‘we are the best and we are the leaders and we are trying to lead the world’ to ‘you know what we stuffed up, we messed up, we have hurt individuals that we loved, we have hurt families and we have hurt communities’,” he said.
“When the Collingwood Football Club can own this truth, when its rhetoric and actions that follow this change then you will find me changing how I approach this situation.
“But until then I will continue to stay true to my values, I will continue to fight for justice not only for myself but for all the people that are affected by the influence of the Collingwood Football Club.”
Pies’ response to report ‘bizarre’
Heritier Lumumba has slammed Collingwood’s response to a scathing report which found there was “systemic racism” at the club.
President Eddie McGuire claimed on Monday the emergence of the report’s detail — revealed in the Herald Sun — was “a day of pride” for the Magpies, proving their commitment to tackling the issue.
A defiant McGuire declared “we’re not a racist club” and disputed many of the review’s findings.
But in a series of late night tweets, former player Lumumba — whose claims of racial vilification sparked the probe — labelled the club’s response as “bizarre”.
“I’m grateful to all the people who have reached out to me in support — including CFC members and supporters — as well as all those who have challenged the Collingwood Football Club’s bizarre response to their own report finding them guilty of systemic racism,” he said.
“It was painful to watch the club dig itself deeper into delusion and dishonesty at today’s press conference.
“Eddie McGuire’s inability to let go of the illusion he’s constructed of himself does not serve the club, the code, or the community.
“It’s a pity his final year looks like it will be marked by yet another self-inflicted racism scandal.
“The report clearly states that during Eddie’s tenure as CFC president, the club’s racism resulted in “profound and enduring harm” to many individuals, families, & communities.
“It was disturbing to see how easily Eddie and the CFC board members reduced the severity of this ‘profound and enduring harm’ to mere ‘mishaps’ — as if they were talking about spilling tea on a couch rather than being found guilty of years of systemic racism.
“I’ll be speaking to media (Tuesday) to break down the lies and deception, as well as answering questions about the report’s findings.”
Lumumba on Tuesday morning shared posts from “one eyed Collingwood supporter”, federal MP Peter Khalil, who said he had barracked for the Pies since meeting Peter Daicos at a Preston fish and chip shop in 1978.
“But I haven’t been so blind as to not notice racism and racist remarks that have permeated the club,” Mr Khalil said.
He said his support for Collingwood was “tinged with deep discomfort” when he witnessed the racist abuse hurled by Pies supporters and experienced by “my hero Peter Daicos and more recently Heritier Lumumba”.
“Racist remarks were rife in the ‘80s when I used to watch footy at Vic Park,” he said.
“On the occasions I ventured to call it out, I was treated like an alien, patronised, or worse had the bile redirected at me.
“And of course when I played junior and amateur footy I copped the sprays regularly and directly during pretty much every game I was on the receiving end copping vile racist abuse.”
McGuire has stared down calls for his resignation after the leaking of the secret “Do Better” review, which found “systemic racism within the Collingwood Football Club”.
1) I’m grateful to all the people who have reached out to me in support - including CFC members and supporters - as well as all those who have challenged the Collingwood Football Club’s bizarre response to their own report finding them guilty of systemic racism.
— Héritier Lumumba (@iamlumumba) February 1, 2021
It comes as the lawyer for Lumumba said the report was a “watershed moment” for the club and the AFL.
Rhea Dhillon — who is Special Counsel for law firm Phi Finney McDonald — said Lumumba felt “vindicated” by the findings of Collingwood’s ‘Do Better’ report and the future of his legal proceedings would be determined by what the Magpies and the AFL do next.
Lumumba launched legal action with the Supreme Court of Victoria against Collingwood and the AFL last October, claiming that he was racially abused during his career with the Magpies and both organisations failed to provide him a safe working environment.
“This is a pretty watershed moment, not only for the club but for the AFL,” Dhillon told News Corp Australia.
“Now with it all out in the open, suffice to say it entirely vindicates our client’s claims. He has been saying these things for the past seven years and he is feeling pretty vindicated by the findings in the report.
“We were waiting and seeing what the report would be and now we’re waiting to see what their response is to it. That could alleviate the need for legal proceedings or we might still have to consider our options, depending on what course they (Collingwood) propose to take.”
Dhillon said Lumumba had been consistent in his desire for an “acknowledgment of wrongdoing and an apology” from Collingwood, as well as “compensation for the damage done”.
ROBBO: EDDIE MUST STAND DOWN TODAY
The 2010 premiership player, who is now based in Los Angeles, chose not to be interviewed as part of the report but did request a copy of it in December, which was denied by the Magpies.
“He had reason to be sceptical about participation in the report because, as the report states, Collingwood has a tendency to treat things as a PR exercise rather than a serious allegation and doubled-down and denied his allegations and has discredited him publicly,” Dhillon said.
“So he was very reluctant to be subjected to that again.
“He’s been very vocal. He hasn’t held back. His record of events is available on Twitter, so I don’t think that he felt that it was necessary to repeat that process. I think he found that it would be fairly self-evident and I think that Dr (Larissa) Behrendt’s report shows that is the case.”
Collingwood suspended two members last July over offensive social media comments directed towards forward Jordan De Goey.
The comments came after De Goey had returned to the playing field after being charged with sexual assault following an alleged 2015 incident.
Dhillon said this action was not consistent with how Collingwood had treated Lumumba.
“Collingwood’s stance there was pretty clear in that they said their membership would only be reinstated once the fans had acknowledged their own wrongdoing, apologised for that and demonstrated an understanding of the hurt they caused to the player,” Dhillon said.
“If that’s the standard they hold their members to, it’s certainly the standard they should be holding themselves to.”
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