Closing the investigation of sexual abuse of Crows AFLW player sends poor message from AFL House

The AFLW has its own version of the racism pain that made the AFL become an agent for social change in Australia. But in the AFLW case on sexual harassment, the AFL has failed in its duty.

Carlton’s Darcy Vescio, right, and Bulldogs’ Emma Kearney.

AS a self-proclaimed and eager guardian on social values, the AFL has failed itself — and miserably — in the AFLW.

A Crows AFLW player has taken exception to how she was touched on her backside and spoken to with a sexual tone by a GWS opponent in their clash at Blacktown in Sydney a fortnight ago.

The Giants’ player has denied all allegations of sexual harassment ... and the AFL appears content to leave it at that, making the Crows player a victim again. The Adelaide player is abused (allegedly) by a rival — and certainly abused by an AFL system that makes the Keystone Cops appear capable of finally settling who did indeed shoot JFK.

Nicole Livingstone, head of the AFLW, at the Sandringham Football Club.

To the cynics, it would appear quite understandable for this script to have played out:

CROWS PLAYER: I was touched here — and I had this said to me.

GIANTS PLAYER: No, I didn’t. No I didn’t. I deny it all.

AFL: Okay, we’ll just move on shall we ...

No we should not. This is a throwback to the attitude that allowed racism to continue on the VFL-AFL fields until Nicky Winmar and Michael Long declared they would no longer tolerate it in the 1990s — and still Adam Goodes need to reinforce this in recent seasons.

And those who suggest the AFL would prefer the Crows-Giants moment to fall through the cracks to avoid focus on the lesbian content in the AFL are misguided.

This is the league where the game’s best player, Adelaide co-captain Erin Phillips, eagerly — and proudly — kissed her female partner on winning the AFLW’s “Brownlow”.

The league’s best coach, Adelaide’s Bec Goddard, has proposed to her female partner to take up their newly won right to marry in Australia.

Two of the league’s eight teams — Carlton and the Western Bulldogs — recently wore jumpers with the rainbow ribbon in the first AFLW “Pride Game”.

There is no running away from the fact there are proud lesbians in the AFLW.

And the AFL should not run away from fully investigating an incident that challenges the AFL’s progress for social change in Australia.

It might prove to be very difficult, but the AFL cannot dismiss the case on one simple denial. Even AFL men’s players have come to understand that does not wash with racism.

Clearly, one AFLW player is in need of education — as so many AFL men’s players have accepted with racism. Here, the AFL has failed the Giants player too.

And one Crows AFLW player should not have been made to feel a victim TWICE with a lack of support for her case at AFL House — nor should she be left with the image of having lied.

Originally published as Closing the investigation of sexual abuse of Crows AFLW player sends poor message from AFL House