AFL CEO Andrew Dillon urges clubs to join fight agaisnt racism, reveals AI’s role in helping stop abuse

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon has told clubs they must join the AFL in the fight against racism, while revealing the league’s latest step in helping thwart online abuse against its players.

AFL boss Andrew Dillon has told clubs they must join the AFL in the fight against racism as he revealed the league was using AI tools to reduce social media abuse of players.

Dillon wrote to the AFL’s 18 club chief executives and presidents on the weekend of Sir Doug Nicholls Round amid a spat between the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide about the treatment of Willie Rioli.

Dillon lauded Port Adelaide for leading the conversation about cultural sensitivity towards indigenous players and told the presidents: “Specifically, there is no place for racism anywhere, at any level or operation of our game”.

The Power recently revealed the impact of racism on Willie Rioli. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

But he asked for their feedback on how the AFL as an industry could improve “respectful behaviours” towards indigenous players in the 10th season of Sir Doug Nicholls Round.

Port Adelaide is adamant that players across the league must be more culturally sensitive after sledging of players that is not outright racist but is still offensive to players given their indigenous backgrounds.

Dillon invited the AFL’s clubs to consider how they could improve “elite environments” for indigenous and culturally diverse players and how they could ask media partners to play their role in “constructive commentary that avoids the potential for further harm”.

Port Adelaide said last week that Rioli was abused every day on social media, with the league having limited success through the E-Safety Commissioner in identifying the perpetrators of abuse via anonymous social media accounts.

But Dillon said the league was having some success in shielding indigenous players from that abuse.

“AFL Digital have been trialling AI tools to assist the human moderation of online abuse, and have now found a tool that is improving success,” he wrote.

“While there is an unfortunate global trend of abuse of elite athletes, particularly Indigenous and culturally diverse athletes, across all online media, it doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t attempt to make positive change. How can we continue to work with the E-Safety commissioner and how can we campaign directly with the platforms to help mitigate the risk?

“We acknowledge that there is more to do, but it is not work that the AFL can do alone. It is also work for Clubs, for players, for coaches, for all of us. It’s an all-of-industry approach that we are going to need to continue to make our game the best it can be for all the men and women who play at the elite level.”

Dillon said he was keen for presidents and chief executives to consider the AFL’s ideas and report back to the league at the next CEO’s meeting.

“Let us use this next several weeks encompassing the Sir Doug Nicholls Round as the launching pad for a renewed conversation that will help Indigenous legends of tomorrow thrive over their careers.”

Originally published as AFL CEO Andrew Dillon urges clubs to join fight agaisnt racism, reveals AI’s role in helping stop abuse