Shamed AFL says sorry to Goodes

The AFL has issued an apology to Swans great Adam Goodes for failing to suppor­t him as he was booed out of football.

Adam Goodes ... the AFL has issued a statement of apology to the Swans champion. Picture: David Caird

The AFL and clubs across the country have issued an extraordinary apology to Swans great Adam Goodes for failing to suppor­t him as he was booed out of football.

On the release of the documentary The Final Quarter at the Sydney Film Festival yesterday, the AFL acknowledged it should have done more to help the code’s most celebrated indigenous player at the end of his career.

Goodes was subjected to sustained boos throughout much of his final season of football, which ultimately forced him to sit out of the game for a week late in 2015.

“Through Adam’s experience, we see the personal and instit­utional experience of racism,” an AFL statement said.

“The treatment challenges us and our right to be considered Australia’s indigenous code. Adam, who represents so much that is good and unique about our game, was subject to treatment that drove him out of football.

“The game did not do enough to stand with him and call it out. We apologise unreservedly for our failures during this period.

“Failure to call out racism and not standing up for one of our own let down all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players, past and present.”

As a result of the trauma assoc­iated with the saga, the 2014 Aust­ralian of the Year opted against participating in the traditional farewell parade for retiring players at the MCG prior to the grand final for fear he would booed again.

It has become clear in recent weeks that AFL officials including chief executive Gillon McLachlan, as well as prominent club figures including Collingwood president Eddie McGuire, have been disturb­ed by the abuse levelled at the four-time All Australian as outlined clearly in two documentaries.

In 2015, McLachlan refused to describe the jeers as racism. Yesterda­y, he conceded he was wrong. “I should have called it earlier and been clearer,” he said on Melbourne radio station 3AW.

The archival footage used in The Final Quarter paints a damn­ing portrayal of several football and media figures.

Another documentary on the dual Brownlow Medallist, directed by Stan Grant and featuring Goodes, is called The Australian Dream and will be released in Augus­t at the Melbourne Inter­national Film Festival.

The code’s indigenous players, including Hawthorn champion Shaun Burgoyne and Adelaide star Eddie Betts, watched The Final Quarter in February and were devastated. It prompted their move to challenge every racist slur posted about footballers by fans on social media and at matches.

Clubs including West Coast and Geelong expressed their disma­y at the treatment of the Sydney co-captain during the 2015 season and pleaded with support­ers to shelve the booing.

In the statement, the AFL and the football community pledged to fight all forms of racism and discrimination in a bid to eradicate it from the game, while working to make the code more inclusive.

The AFL urged Australians to watch both documentaries with an open mind.