Taylor Walker has full support of Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks after being singled out over historical racism incident

Everyone involved shut down a story the veteran’s past actions could hurt the recruitment of an Indigenous star and his coach wasn’t happy with how it played out.

Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks has called out the “unfair” treatment of veteran forward Taylor Walker after he was caught up in unsubstantiated claims alleging St Kilda’s Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera had ruled out moving to the club due to a historical racism incident.

Reports early in the week suggested Wanganeen-Milera, who is off contract at the Saints and being courted by both South Australian clubs, had ruled out the Crows because of Walker’s indiscretion in 2021.

The former Adelaide captain was given a six-match ban and a $20,000 sanction after being overheard making a racist comment at a SANFL match.

But both Wanganeen-Milera’s manager and the player vehemently denied the report, with Walker also reaching out to seek clarification, which was given to him.

In the wake of the fallout, Nicks said he was proud of how Walker handled the situation, his growth since the 2021 incident, and lashed the way it was played out, calling out a “lack of accountability” in contract speculation.

“I didn’t like the way it played out at all. I think it was unfair to a lot of people,” Nicks said.

Taylor Walker has Matthew Nicks in his corner. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“But no, I didn’t get any more involved than checking in with Taylor, for example, to make sure he knows I’m proud of what he’s done since an unacceptable moment four years ago.

“He’s done a lot of work on educating himself, probably more than anyone at the footy club. But our whole footy club has improved off the back of that (incident).

“I’d prefer not to talk further on it because it’s not something I’ve got involved in, other than touching base with one or two people.”

Nicks wouldn’t be drawn on whether the club was chasing Wanganeen-Milera, who could be in line for a seven-figure payday for his new deal.

“We don’t talk about players from other footy clubs,” Nicks said.

“It’s something we’ve shown a lot of respect around over the years. It’s just not a space we go into.”

But Nicks conceded talk around contracts was hard to avoid and “part of the deal” for players.

Originally published as Taylor Walker has full support of Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks after being singled out over historical racism incident