Hawthorn legend Don Scott has microphone taken away from him during Hawks AGM

When Hawthorn’s annual general meeting was wrapping up on Tuesday night, club legend Don Scott directed some pointed questions at president Andy Gowers. Here’s what happened next.

Hawthorn legend Don Scott had a microphone taken away from him after peppering president Andy Gowers with some pointed questions during the Hawks’ annual general meeting on Tuesday night.

Scott – a former director of the club – asked Gowers a range of questions about club finances, the Hawks cultural safety review and Gowers’ previous election commitments during question time at the meeting.

The questions were answered and the meeting was being wrapped up when Scott – who still held a microphone – persisted with further queries about the board.

A Hawthorn staff member at the meeting attempted to take a microphone from Scott, who refused to hand it over.

He went on to ask two further questions about board nominations and conflicts of interest among board members.

Hawthorn legend Don Scott had the microphone taken away from him on Tuesday night. Picture: Nicki Connolly

Gowers remained on stage and addressed Scott’s questions, before eventually ending the meeting.

“I’m happy to have a talk to you offline, Don,” Gowers said.

“I think we’re at the point now where we should wind it up.”

Earlier in the meeting, Gowers confirmed that Jeff Kennett would receive life membership of the club at the “right time” as the fallout from the Hawks’ cultural safety review drags into a third calendar year.

Kennett was not awarded life membership at Hawthorn’s annual general meeting on Tuesday night, despite Gowers acknowledging that he “well and truly qualified” for it after two previous stints as president from 2005-11 and 2017-22.

Kennett last month labelled the decision to delay his life membership as “silly”, but Gowers said that award would come down the track.

“Jeff has provided significant contribution to this club,” Gowers said at the club’s AGM.

“He has contributed a hell of a lot to this football club, and absolutely deserves life membership, which has been agreed to.

“But given the ongoing nature of the legal matters with the First Nations issue, it was also agreed that now is not the right time to award that. So it will be awarded at a time to be agreed, and we very much look forward to doing that.”

Hawks president Andy Gowers with Sam Mitchell earlier this year. Picture: Michael Klein.

Kennett was part of the Hawks’ board which commissioned the cultural safety review into the experiences of past and present indigenous players and staff.

A group of players and families at the centre of that report lodged a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission against Hawthorn earlier this year, alleging that they “endured racism” at the club.

However, a hearing has not yet taken place.

“The Human Rights Commission is a matter that I think will start to be heard late January, maybe early February,” Gowers said.

“That has been unfortunately postponed. But we’re working our way through it as diligently as we can.

“There’s a lot of time and energy that is going into it – with very good reason – and we look forward to resolving things for all the parties involved as soon as we can.

“We’re doing everything in our powers to resolve this as fairly and as quickly as we possibly can.”