AFL groping controversy: Heritier Lumumba says he feels for his ‘young brother’ Mabior Chol

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has publicly addressed the club’s groping incidents, which was condemned by the AFL. Heritier Lumumba also weighed into the issue, saying he feels for Mabior Chol.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has spoken for the first time since Friday’s tense press conference, saying the Tigers had addressed inappropriate behaviour with players earlier in the week.

Hardwick said he had not considered dropping defenders Nick Vlastuin and Jayden Short for Sunday’s clash with Port Adelaide in the wake of the groping allegations but also did not believe the story had been “overblown”.

The pair were captured on changeroom cameras inappropriately groping Chol, with the footge circulating on social media.

“We understand it’s not a great look for the game,” Hardwick said on Fox Footy’s Saturday Countdown.

“We’re disappointed and the fact of the matter is we spoke about it about two days earlier, so we thought we’d nipped it in the bud and obviously yesterday happened and we had to deal with it again.

“It’s all about education from our point of view and it’s in the eye of the beholder. So we’ll continue to educate our players and continue to learn from it.”

Hardwick said it was a serious matter and it had been made clear to his players that any similar behaviour in future would not be tolerated.

“We don’t think it’s overblown,” Hardwick said.

“The reality is it’s a situation that doesn’t look great. We understand that, we’re here to set an example and we dealt with it a couple of days ago. So our players are of the full understanding that it shouldn’t happen and it won’t happen again.

“It’s something that is prevalent in society so we’ve just got to make sure we nip it in the bud and continue to set the really good example that we know we can.”

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Jayden Short grabs Mabior Chol during the team song.

Nick Vlastuin harasses Chol after the win against Brisbane.

Meanwhile, St Kilda swiftly rebuked its All-Australian candidate Dan Butler for grabbing at teammate Jade Gresham’s groin and backside ahead of a post-game song, with coach Brett Ratten insisting the antics won’t be tolerated again.

Ratten said Butler was remorseful for his “poor choice”, which he described as a spur of the moment thing, and had learnt his lesson.

“It was unacceptable behaviour and something we addressed with our players straight away to say ‘that’s not our footy club and that’s not in our game,” Rattem said on 3AW. “We don’t want to see that behaviour again.”

“We really just tried to hit it on the head. If it becomes a trend, it is just not good for the game. I don’t think you will see it again at the Saints and hopefully we don’t see it in the competition.”

Collingwood premiership player Heritier Lumumba has weighed into the groping allegations, saying he feels for his “young brother” Marbior Chol.

Lumumba said the incident highlighted a “failure” to protect African players.

On Saturday morning the AFL slammed the behaviour as “unacceptable and juvenile”.

“My heart goes out to Mabior Chol after watching the post-match, locker room footage; I feel for the young brother,” Lumumba tweeted.

“The incident did not happen in a vacuum, it is a symptom of the AFL’s systemic issues that must be urgently addressed. Given the league’s vast influence on society, failing to do so is a threat to public safety.

“In this particular instance, it further highlights its failure to protect the rights of African players. This should not have happened, and could have been prevented.”

The comments from Lumumba came as Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale backed coach Damien Hardwick’s handling of the situation, labelling it “unfair” that the criminal allegations were put to him without notice during an online press conference on Friday.

Key people from Richmond have checked on Mabior Chol. Picture: Getty Images

“I thought the coach handled himself very well. I don’t think those matters, those questions, should be put to a club coach,” Gale said.

“They should be put to administration, they should be put to me.

“It was a surprise because of the way the matter was put to him. I mean, criminality, assault, indecent assault allegations? He wasn’t aware, the way it was put.”

Gale said while he had not spoken directly with Chol since the allegations were raised he was confident that the 23-year-old had not been impacted by the groping inflicted by teammates.

“Several people have (spoken to Chol) on our behalf, just to check in and make sure that he’s okay,” Gale said on 3AW radio.

“I mean several people, and just to absolutely emphasise that this is not something we accept or will accept and to make sure that he is okay.

“I can understand why people looking at this would feel really confronted. It’s a bad look and it’s got to stop and it will stop. But I think the opinion that really matters here is Mabior and, yes, he was surprised (by the groping). It was unexpected. But for him it’s a non-issue and we should take that into account.”

Chol’s manager Ralph Carr said he had spoken to his client on Friday and was comfortable with how the situation had been managed.

“There was nothing in it and the club spoke to him and spoke to me and put out a press release and there’s nothing else to add,” Carr told News Corp.

“I speak to most of my players nearly every day or every second day and he’s no different.

Dan Butler grabs at Saint teammate Jade Gresham's backside.

He was no different (on Friday) to any other day. He can’t believe why there’s a big issue about the whole thing, anyway. No one can.

“They’re all concentrating on the game. I think this is the last thing on their minds. They’re playing today.”

Carr said Chol, who is contracted to the Tigers until the end of next year, was enjoying his football at the club, having played the past six games.

“He did some hard work over the summer and I think he’s reaping the rewards from that and good on him,” Carr said.

“He’s a good kid and stands for a great cause with his charity and he’s a good quality person. So I hope he continues to stay in there and play some good footy.”

Butler on Friday night became the third player caught on camera groping a teammate as Nick Vlastuin and Jayden Short apologised to Chol for similar acts.

The incident occurred on Thursday night as the Saints stood in a circle singing the club song after beating Gold Coast.

Butler’s actions were visible on a clip on St Kilda’s website. The 2017 Richmond premiership player joined the Saints this year.

Butler, on Friday night, acknowledged his behaviour “isn’t appropriate and it will not be repeated”.

“It wasn’t a premeditated action, and I have spoken to Jade and apologised.”

Gresham said he was not concerned by the act but said he understood why it is not acceptable.

St Kilda affirmed that “there is no context in which this behaviour is appropriate and will ensure it is not repeated”.

Richmond quickly declared the actions of premiership Tigers Vlastuin and Short “unacceptable”.

“It was a stupid action and I am deeply embarrassed,” Vlastuin said.

“I’ve apologised to Mabior.”

Short said that the act was “unacceptable behaviour and a poor example”.

The AFL released a statement on Saturday morning saying the actions of the Richmond players were “not in keeping with either club, community or AFL expectations”.

“The behaviour is inappropriate, unacceptable and juvenile,” the strongly-worded league statement read.

“AFL players are professional athletes and set the example for the hundreds of thousands of kids playing football across the country.

“It is the responsibility of each club and the players themselves to ensure this inappropriate behaviour is not repeated.”

Two incidents were allegedly caught on camera in the change rooms, after Richmond’s win over Brisbane and the previous clash with the Western Bulldogs.

It showed the Tigers standing in a circle singing the club song after a victory.

Chol, 23, said he had taken no offence in the incidents, but admitted that a better example had to be set.

“I have no issue whatsoever with those players, or any of my teammates,” Chol said.

“But understand that is not the sort of example we should be setting.”

Richmond said that “the entire playing group have made clear this behaviour will cease”.

The club said in a statement: “Richmond is committed to providing a safe workplace environment and will continue to work to ensure that is the case.”

The AFL considers players to be leaders of the sport at all levels, and is understood to have considered the behaviour to be inappropriate, unacceptable and juvenile.

It contacted Richmond on Friday to express that and could move to reiterate that to all clubs.

Carlton AFL Women’s player and target of online sexual harassment Tayla Harris said on Friday night that the players were role models.

“Kids playing junior footy see this on the (television) and think it’s OK,” she wrote on social media.

“It is not OK. I don’t care about the ‘boys club” BS, this is severely inappropriate. Grow up.”

American-born former Pie Shae McNamara, who was at Collingwood on a rookie contract between 2010 and 2012, described the behaviour as “disturbing” and “very weird” and said that when he had called it out, he had been labelled homophobic.

The former professional basketballer said he had found the act to be unique to football.

“I’ve only experienced this ‘playhouse’ playing footy, not in any other sport,” McNamara wrote on Twitter.

Mabior Chol competes against Brisbane ruckman Oscar McInerney.

“Whether this ‘playhouse’ was teammate on me or on teammate. Very weird and inappropriate behaviour.

“When I demanded it stop, they’d joke & say I was homophobic. Unique culture, footy.”

McNamara said that in his experience, “1-5 per cent of the people … openly ‘wrestled’ and loved that bond”.

“I can see the brotherhood in it, but sometimes it got weird – and this video represents that,” he wrote.

Essendon great Matthew Lloyd said the issue being exposed was “an amazing thing for our game”.

“Imagine trying that on Tony Lockett,” he said on 3AW.

“He would have thrown you into a wall.

“I think Hugh Riminton has done an amazing thing for our game (because) it will stop it.

The vision is being circulated on social media.

Hardwick didn’t answer any of the allegations, and a club spokesperson entered the press conference, being done via Zoom, to say the coach and the club had “no knowledge” of the incident.

Alot of love @Richmond_FC especially from Vlastuin (1) towards Chol (41) 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/l4YjKUY09J

— Dean McKinnon (@deano_mck05) August 4, 2020

WHAT WENT DOWN

Hugh Riminton (journalist): Sadly, an off-field matter if you don’t mind taking a question on it. Are you aware of what appears to be an indecent assault against one of your players by another one of your players in the rooms, in fact there were two incidents, after the game against Brisbane and the other the week before against the Western Bulldogs, do you have any knowledge of these things?

Damien Hardwick: No, mate. I appreciate your time but let’s talk about the game. Thank you.

Riminton: I’m going to put these questions to you, because I have two criminal lawyers who have said they have looked at this vision and they say there has clearly been a sexual assault taking place. It’s a breach of the criminal law at state and Commonwealth level. It’s a breach of the AFL code of conduct, the player’s code of conduct, of the member’s protection policy statement, it is on camera, we have received no complaint from any player, but it’s clearly on camera, it has been discussed on social media, and I want to know, are you going to take it upon yourself, if you haven’t already, to investigate what appears to be a crime between two of your players?

Jaimee Damon (club media): We actually have no knowledge of that, it’s the first we’ve heard about it, so thank you for the question but we have to move on.

Riminton: So from the coach, the answer is, let’s be clear, you have no knowledge of this taking place, even though it’s freely on social media, you have no knowledge of this at all?

Damon: That’s correct, thank you and we’ll move on.

Riminton: There will be questions on it at a higher level and you are aware of them now. If it turns out to be a matter of horseplay, captured on camera is Nick Vlastuin putting his finger up the anus of Mabior Chol, he reacts to that in a way that plainly indicates he wasn’t expecting such an action. He also has his genitals grabbed three times by Vlastuin, after the Bulldogs game he has his genitals grabbed by Jayden Short, the question to you is, if this is horseplay, are all premiership players within Richmond expected to tolerate fingers going up their anuses, or is it just the black players?

Silence

Damon: Thanks for your questions, Hugh, but we’ll move on from that.

After a series of football questions, about three minutes worth, Riminton came in again.

Riminton: A football question, are you expecting Nick Vlastuin, Jayden Short and Mabior Chol all to be available and playing in your next game?

Hardwick: I’ve been very patient.

Riminton: It’s a football question, are you expecting them all to be playing in your next game?

Hardwick: Thanks guys.

Press conference ends.

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