It’s time for the AFL to implement a no-fault stand-down policy
Gil McLachlan’s AFL is behind the times when it comes to footballers and allegations of violence against women.
Gil McLachlan’s AFL is behind the times when it comes to footballers and allegations of violence against women.
On Sunday the news broke that one of the AFL’s most talented and biggest stars Jordan de Goey has been charged with forcibly touching a woman at a New York nightclub. He is also charged with assaulting her friend. This comes just two months after an indecent assault charge against de Goey was withdrawn.
But this is not a column about a troubled star footballer, it is about a broken AFL system that no longer works in modern sport. A system that protects talented footballers, leaving victims to be forgotten.
The AFL needs to catch up and follow the NRL’s lead.
As other codes move to evolve — the NRL with its world-leading stand-down policy point and Football Australia cooperating fully with Sports Integrity Australia to deal with serious allegations of sexual harassment in the Matildas — the AFL has stubbornly not budged an inch on issues of integrity and women.
It refuses to implement a policy which automatically stands down footballers alleged to have committed an act of violence against women.
The AFL has a respect and responsibility code that has been updated to work towards “safe and inclusive environments for women across the AFL industry”, but it is hard to take that seriously when the width of the goal posts depends on how good the player is.
Late Sunday afternoon the Pies stood down de Goey but was not obliged to by AFL policy.
The lack of action by the AFL leadership leaves it open to criticism that it values talent over criminal allegations. Innocent before proven guilty is an important tenet of the legal system, but it is also a principle the AFL hides behind to not take action. It allows men to play on even when they have been accused of troubling crimes. No one would expect their child’s schoolteacher to remain in the classroom while such allegations remain unresolved. The same should apply to your children’s role models. De Goey didn’t serve a moment on the sidelines despite a sexual assault charge hanging over his head for a year.
Is there no cultural pressure on the AFL to do better in this space? Are sponsors like Toyota, Coles and NAB fine with players who have alleged to have committed a crime against a woman playing on?
The AFL’s policy is just malleable corporate speak.
We all know that football clubs will do anything to keep their best players on the field. If de Goey wasn’t talented, a match-winner, he would have been dumped.
The fact of the matter is ordinary AFL players have been cut for far less.
With no firm boundaries on player behaviour, with no line in the sand, with no stand-down policy, no limit set, the door remains open for the most valuable footballers to play on.
Already the whisper is that Collingwood may bow out of the race for his signature for 2022. The forward-midfielder is off contract next season. Despite de Goey’s behavioural baggage there will absolutely be demand for his talents. It’s been reported he hopes to land a contract of more than $800,000 a season.
On Sunday the AFL said in a statement that their integrity unit will look into the matter once more information is obtained from de Goey on the incident. It also said until then, the AFL is not in a position to make comment.
But who cares for words in a time like this, actions are what count.
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