Adam Goodes says booing and racism a factor in why retired from footy

ADAM Goodes has revealed the main reasons for his retirement and why he skipped AFL farewell ceremonies in his first in-depth interview since leaving the game.

Goodes

ADAM Goodes’ decision to walk away from the game was influenced strongly by the racism and booing he received in his final season of playing.

Goodes, 35, has given his first interview since he sat out the Swans’ Round 18 clash with Adelaide in the wake of the incessant booing that had been plaguing his season, to University of Sydney student magazine Honi Soit.

According to the 2014 Australian of the Year, what he copped from fans across the country made his “decision (to retire) quite easy” when combined with his age and body.

“I think it’s one of many reasons,” he told the magazine.

“You know obviously my stand on racism is that it’s unacceptable and that we should always stand up to it.

“I think going into this season, you know, I’m 35 years old, I played a couple of games in the reserves this year to get my fitness back, so I think there was a lot of factors.

“And obviously with all the booing and everything, that was another piece of the puzzle that made my decision quite easy.”

Read the full interview here

The champion Swan played 378 games over 16 years, with his final two-and-a-half seasons marred by abuse that began when he pointed out a young girl in the crowd for calling him an “ape” in 2013.

He sparked more debate in Round 9 of this season when he performed a war dance after booting a goal against Carlton.

Things reached a head against West Coast in Round 17, with Goodes saying he “didn’t want to come back” after he sat out the following week’s match.

“I felt better when I did,” he told the magazine.

“I just needed that support and the love of everyone at my football club and my partner, my family — that made it a little bit easier to come back.

“Obviously the booing didn’t stop, but I was able to be a lot stronger mentally and physically to deal with that for the last couple of months, knowing that it was going to be my last couple of months.”

Goodes says he knew “about two months before the season finished” that he was done with playing, and says his decision to skip the grand final and traditional farewells for retiring players allowed him to say goodbye to the game in a “safe environment”.

“I was done. I knew when I was finishing,” he said.

“I didn’t want, once I’d finished footy, to be part of any other things that I had a choice in.

“At the end of the day, it’s my choice to do the lap.

“At the end of the day, it was my choice not to be nominated for the (AFLPA) Madden Medal.

“I had my last football responsibility at the club best and fairest and that’s what I was looking for.

“It was my supporters, my members, at that event, and you know it was a very safe environment for me to go to and give my send-off to the people that mattered.”

The two-time Brownlow medallist, who detailed the importance of his off-field work in the interview, has now flown overseas for two months with his girlfriend before returning to Australia to continue his fight against racism and domestic violence.

He will also continue to campaign for constitutional recognition for indigenous Australians.