Full impact of Eddie Betts’ departure on Carlton players revealed

Eddie Betts says leaving Carlton was the hardest decision of his life. And teammates have revealed they were as shattered as fans when the club favourite became a Crow.

Chris Yarran and Eddie Betts.

Eddie Betts warned Carlton of the likely impact of his departure on his teammates before accepting a $2 million free agency offer from Adelaide in 2013.

The champion small forward said Blues welfare staff also raised concerns about how indigenous teammates including Chris Yarran and Jeff Garlett would respond, telling the club “if Ed leaves these boys are going to fall apart”.

And former teammate Mitch Robinson revealed it wasn’t just Carlton’s indigenous players who became disillusioned after Betts left.

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After a surprise finals win against Richmond in Mick Malthouse’s first year in charge, Betts received offers from the Crows and North Melbourne way above what the Blues were prepared to pay.

“It (leaving Carlton) was the hardest decision I had to make in my life,” he said on Robinson’s YouTube show Rip Through It.

Robinson said the club went “off the rails” after the list decision.

“I know for a fact that a lot of players, including myself, Jeffy, Yarran, Dennis Armfield, we all just felt shattered when you left,” he said.

“Honestly, when he left I was trying to get in on the deal with him, I was texting saying, ‘Can you make it a two for one deal please, I’ll come with you’.”

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The Blues slipped to 13th in 2014 and Robinson (delisted) and Garlett (traded to Melbourne) left the club. Yarran was traded to Richmond the next year after Carlton won the wooden spoon, but didn’t play another AFL game.

Robinson has since played 80 games for the Lions, Garlett has added 78 games for Melbourne and Betts 124 for the Crows while kicking 299 goals.

Former Blues Chris Yarran and Eddie Betts.

Betts also defended Adam Goodes’ response to racist taunts and asked fans to stop comparing his reaction to the Sydney champion.

The Adelaide star revealed he continues to receive racial taunts on social media and said he will continue to call out vile attacks against him and other indigenous players.

“What I get angry about (is) when people come up to me (after) I’ve been racially abused and they go ‘Ed, it’s fantastic the way you handled the situation, you handled it better than Adam Goodes’. What do you mean - better than Adam Goodes?” he said.

“We’re trying to stamp out the same thing.

“What’s different between the way I’ve done it and Adam’s done it? All Adam said was, ‘That girl needs support’ ... and I’ve said the same thing when I’ve been racially abused, we need to support these people, they need to be educated.

“I just hate it when people say handled that way better than Adam Goodes. it’s not a contest. We gotta stamp this out 100 per cent in society.”

Betts has released a new children’s book ‘My People’ which he hopes will help educate kids about Aboriginal culture.