Melbourne board dispute: Demons respond to allegations against coach Simon Goodwin
Melbourne has launched a staunch defence of its premiership coach Simon Goodwin and responded to allegations he abused drugs.
Melbourne
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Melbourne has launched a staunch defence of its premiership coach declaring court document claims, including allegations Simon Goodwin had abused drugs, were “unsubstantiated, historical and outrageous accusations”.
It comes amid new details regarding the AFL’s involvement in discussions over the fallout between former club boss Glen Bartlett and the current Melbourne board.
The Herald Sun revealed on Tuesday WorkSafe Victoria had launched a probe into the Melbourne Football Club’s boardroom dispute as court documents revealed explosive claims about Goodwin’s behaviour.
Goodwin has repeatedly denied having any behavioural issues and engaged top Sydney defamation litigator Rebekah Giles, who has acted for Brittany Higgins and former Attorney-General Christian Porter.
Melbourne released a statement on Wednesday in support of its coach.
“The board of the Melbourne Football Club unequivocally refute the unsubstantiated, historical and outrageous accusations against Simon Goodwin and other Club leaders as published in today’s Herald Sun,” the statement said.
“The untested and unproven claims were made by Ms (Vicki) Laspas in a statement she prepared to support her partner, Mr Bartlett, in legal proceedings that were discontinued by him. The views expressed by Ms Laspas are her recollection of historical events and are in direct contrast with the recollections of the Melbourne Football Club Board.
“The Board are unanimous and united in their support of Simon Goodwin and are dismayed that he and his family will need to again endure this attempt to undermine his outstanding reputation as a Club leader.
“In regard to the WorkSafe complaint made by Ms Laspas, the Club has responded to Worksafe’s requests for documentation. This includes providing documents and proof that contradict and refute claims made by Ms Laspas.
“At no point has Ms Laspas been a volunteer or employee of the Club.
“Over the last two years, Mr Bartlett and his partner Ms Laspas have continued to make accusations about Club leaders that are baseless.”
Documents released by the Supreme Court of Western Australia detailed fresh claims in the legal standoff between Bartlett and four Melbourne directors.
In the most explosive claim, Bartlett’s fiancee Vicki Laspas states that the former Dees boss was “dealing with information provided to him concerning Goodwin’s alleged drug use and gambling … among other issues … in about late 2020 and early 2021”.
Work Safe investigators visited the club two weeks ago seeking access to papers in a twist to the saga surrounding the sudden departure of former Demons president Glen Bartlett in April 2021.
A WorkSafe spokeswoman said: “WorkSafe has received a complaint relating to an alleged contravention of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and is investigating the matters raised.
The Supreme Court documents reveal Laspas and a support person held two meetings with incoming AFL boss Andrew Dillon and league communication executive Brian Walsh last year.
“During (one) meeting, I explained that Glen and I were private people and wanted to resolve these issues privately and not played out in public,” she says.
“Mr Walsh seemed agitated by this and said that if Glen and I went public with our concerns, the AFL were ‘big enough and ugly enough to survive’ but it would become a fight in the media and he didn’t think Glen and I would survive. I took this as a threat and asked if it was and Mr Walsh backtracked and said he had heard what Glen and I had been subjected to by the MFC and certain office bearers but was only talking out of concern for our health”.
During a second meeting in July last year, Laspas says Walsh said that “the MFC wanted – figuratively speaking – to ‘knock Glen out’ and ‘strike him down hard’ – while making a punching motion with one fist into the other hand – to ‘shut him up’.”
Laspas said she had detailed her complaints about Melbourne’s conduct to the full AFL commission in September last year.
A league spokesperson said: “The AFL confirms that the Melbourne Football Club has advised it of the WorkSafe investigation. AFL representatives met several times with Ms Laspas at her request in relation to the emotional impact on herself and her partner Glen Bartlett following his departure from the role as president of the Melbourne Football Club.”
Bartlett is suing Roffey and three other Dees directors – David Robb, Steve Morris and David Rennick – alleging misleading and deceptive conduct and defamation, claims which the club says are “baseless” and will be “vigorously” defended.
Bartlett’s lawyers commenced new proceedings in the Federal Court in June after lawyers for the four Melbourne board members were successful in an application to have the case moved from the WA Supreme Court to the Victorian Supreme Court.
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