Adelaide Crows camp fallout: Chairman John Olsen sits down with Matt Turner to discuss the club’s position
A host of key Crows figures left the club after the camp saga, but football director Mark Ricciuto remains. Chairman John Olsen has his say in a full Q&A.
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A day after Adelaide’s hierarchy wrote to fans to apologise to former Crows Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins about their harrowing pre-season camp experiences and address the fallout from it, chairman John Olsen sat down with AFL reporter Matt Turner to discuss where things stood.
MT: Why didn’t the club apologise earlier?
JO: As soon as Eddie and Josh’s confronting stories about their experience of the camp, (Crows chief executive) Tim (Silvers) issued a same-day apology.
That has now been followed up by us jointly issuing an apology to them both, indicating we understand the aggrieved nature of those circumstances at the camp.
While we can’t rewrite history, what we can do is learn from it and get better.
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MT: But why wasn’t there more done at the time?
JO: You’re talking about a time prior to my arrival at the club and therefore I’m not privy to the discussions that took place at that time.
It’s emerged now, they’ve spoken with clarity about their circumstance and that’s why we wanted to address it, particularly with the culture that (coach) Matthew Nicks and the team are embedding in the club with prioritising others first.
Through the change in the CEO, the coach, the football manager (Adam Kelly), that’s a clear focus of the Adelaide Football Club going forward.
MT: I realise you weren’t at the club at the time, but you’re the chairman of it now. Why did the club try to cover it up at that 2018 press conference and say things like “there are no lingering issues”, Aborginal players weren’t offended and it didn’t think there was a betrayal of trust?
JO: Things could’ve been handled better, both at the camp and post the camp.
There is no doubt about that.
I was pleased to see (2018 coach) Don Pyke offer what I took as a very sincere apology to both Eddie and Josh on Saturday.
Could it have been handled better at the time? Yes.
MT: Would you like to see your predecessor, Rob Chapman, and former CEO Andrew Fagan also come out and apologise?
JO: That’s not a matter for me.
My responsibility is for the club today and the club going forward.
We’ve attempted to put in place measures so that can occur with the support of the individuals.
I want everybody that’s involved in this club at whatever level to have a really good experience at the Adelaide footy club during their time here and post their time here.
MT: Why did the club think what happened at the time was OK?
JO: You’re asking me to transport myself to a time where there were discussions and explanations taking place that I’m not privy to, therefore I can’t make a judgment on other’s behalf.
MT: So there hasn’t been those discussions since you took over and when you’ve been reviewing it as to why it was done and why people thought it was OK?
JO: My focus is, in a very deliberate way, to look at what are the circumstances today?
How do I address those circumstances? And how do I ensure we put in place measures that circumstances of the 2018 camp can’t be repeated? And they can’t be repeated.
As a result of that camp, there are processes in place now that all 18 clubs could not establish a camp on the same basis in 2018 going forward.
MT: You said things could have been done better – what exactly?
JO: Hindsight’s 20-20 vision, isn’t it?
Issues could’ve been addressed in a different way, but it’s easy for me to look back in hindsight.
I wasn’t part of the discussions at the time when decisions were made.
My position is here and now: what’s on the table of the Adelaide Football Club now, how do we address that in a constructive and meaningful way and how do we address the issues (raised by) Eddie and Josh, for example — both who say they have great affinity and regard for the Adelaide Football Club.
It was a circumstance that impacted them individually that should never have impacted them in the way in which it did.
That is where we can make sure it never happens again and address their issues directly one-on-one.
MT: Have you spoken to both of them?
JO: Yes.
MT: Can you shed light on those conversations?
JO: I’ve had communication with them both and look forward to sharing a cup of coffee with Eddie in the not-too-distant future.
MT: How many current players have expressed concerns about the camp in this wash-up?
JO: None to me and none that have been brought directly to my attention.
MT: Is that potentially because of what the AFL Players’ Association called a fear of players speaking out?
JO: My observation is that anyone who has an issue has the opportunity to speak with the football manager, the coach or Tim Silvers in a very frank and forthright way.
MT: But it took so long for the Eddie and Josh’s stuff to come out…
JO: We have a new regime at the Adelaide Football Club and they have an absolute open-door policy to any individual that wants to have a discussion.
MT: Are you confident there aren’t any other current players that share those views?
JO: There might be people weighing up what they do as an individual — that is for them.
All I can say is the door is open to anybody that wants to raise any issue.
MT: Does the club now concede there were elements of the camp that made some players feel unsafe?
JO: I wasn’t at the camp so therefore I can’t comment on the camp itself.
But there is no doubt aspects of that camp were inappropriate and should’ve been handled in a different way.
MT: What’s your response to the possibility of legal action?
JO: That’s a hypothetical — I deal with the facts of the matter, not what might or might not be.
MT: Do you expect it?
JO: That’s a hypothetical.
What I do know is the sun is going to come up tomorrow.
MT: Whose fault was it for organising the camp?
JO: I don’t think it was any one individual.
It must have been a number of people who were involved.
MT: The club doctor’s report that Josh has referred to. Why won’t the club won’t release that publicly?
JO: The club has released that to the AFL investigation and the club has released that to a government statutory authority in SafeWork SA, who had access to that report and access to the author of that report in detailed interviews.
They are fully aware of what was in the report and come to their conclusions incorporating that.
SafeWork SA took 18 months and required enormous documentation, which we readily supplied to that review.
It’s been a very thorough review.
MT: Why does Mark Ricciuto get to hold his position as football director?
JO: That’s not on my agenda.
My focus is really on the issues of Josh, Eddie and anybody else and addressing that at this time.
MT: Are you backing Mark in?
JO: It’s not on the agenda.
Two years ago, last year, we will next year — I have a discussion with each individual board member one-on-one and we talk about the skillset of the board and what’s required.
I should point out there’s a 40 per cent changeover in the board of the Adelaide Football Club — there’s four new faces sitting around the board table.
There’s change happening at board level but it needs to be change that reflects the requirement of the club going forward (and) the skillset that’s required for the challenges the club will face.
MT: External sentiment seems to be that with the club talking about all these key pillars having changed, that Mark is one of those still there from the time of the camp and for the club to completely move on, he needs to not be there. Do you share that view — that the club cannot have completely moved on until he’s gone?
JO: There’s a lot on the agenda at the moment that is not on the agenda.
At board level we have very robust and frank discussions the way it ought to be to get the best policy outcomes for this club.
MT: Will the club ask Collective Mind to take down its testimonials from the club?
JO: Yes, they have been asked.
MT: What were the main discussions at Saturday’s board meeting regarding the camp?
JO: It was an information session for the board to bring it up-to-date with the discussions that have been held, how we’ve outreached to our existing playing group, parents of some of the playing group, all the steps the clubs are taking following Eddie and Josh’s public comments.
And giving an opportunity to reflect on the way forward.
MT: Did you want to say anything else further?
JO: I stand by my open letter today.
I unreservedly apologise on behalf of the club to Josh, Eddie and any other player that has been aggrieved by the camp process.
If there’s matters to be addressed please bring them up to us and we’ll seriously address the issue so that we can as a club move forward.
Each individual will review their own circumstances from that camp in their own way — you cannot tell people how they should feel and we don’t.
We accept how they feel and we will address those issues.
‘I did everything I could’: Tex on bitter camp fallout
Taylor Walker insists he did everything he could as captain to address the fallout of Adelaide’s pre-season camp in 2018.
Scrutiny has been on the Crows and their leaders from four years ago since former teammates Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins last week revealed their anguish about the Gold Coast camp.
Walker told Triple M he tried to mend fractures within the group at the time.
“I can put my head on the pillow at night, and put my hand on my heart and say that I did everything I could,” Walker said.
“I knew something was not right post the camp, I knew blokes weren’t feeling that great about it.
“I was having one-on-one meetings, I was having some confidential meetings at my house to try and work out exactly the path to take and I can honestly say that I did everything I could to try and fix it.”
Walker said as the skipper from that period it was upsetting to know Betts and Jenkins were still feeling the effects of the camp.
But he said players took different things out of it.
“I took a positive experience out of it,” said Walker, who was captain from 2015-19.
“But that does not take away from the feelings of hurt that those boys are going through at the moment.”
Walker said the present-day squad remained focused on coach Matthew Nicks’ mantra of prioritising others.
“We’re certainly doing that to the best of our ability,” he said.
“As footy club we still have to work through this… because sitting here you don’t like hearing that past players are feeling that way.”
CROWS CHAIRMAN APOLOGISES, BACKS CLUB’S ‘CULTURAL SHIFT’
Jon Ralph
Adelaide’s chairman and chief executive have apologised to Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins for their horrific 2018 camp experiences in an open letter to Crows fans.
Chief executive Tim Silvers and chairman John Olsen apologised on Monday night to any member of the club who had a “negative experience” on the infamous camp amid days of fallout from Betts’ revelations.
News Corp understands Betts has spoken to the AFL’s integrity team in recent days after Gillon McLachlan made clear the league would drill into his claims he was told not to present a racist letter sent to him at a press conference before an indigenous round.
He is understood to have told the integrity officer to read his book given the claims were all presented in detail, so any progress on that investigation is now considered unlikely.
Board member Mark Ricciuto will remain at the club as well as five other board members who were at the club at the time of the camp.
The club has remained steadfast that the board did not have responsibility for the implementation of the camp.
But on Monday the club pledged to learn from the experiences of Betts and Jenkins, who revealed personal details of their troublesome upbringings had been used against them on the Gold Coast camp.
“We aspire to have everyone – players, coaches and staff – reflect on their time at the Crows in a positive manner and we are saddened that this has not been the case for everyone,” Silvers and Olsen wrote.
“It has been confronting to hear Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins describe their experiences during the 2018 pre-season training camp on the Gold Coast, as well as the subsequent hurt they have carried.
“We apologise to Eddie, Josh and any other player, coach or staff member, who had a negative experience during this time.
“Equally we are sorry to hear Bryce Gibbs express his disappointment at the way in which the camp and events surrounding it were handled and its impact on the playing group, and we acknowledge there are others who may feel the same way. The most important thing we can do now is listen and offer our support.”
“In recent times there has also been a cultural shift and the focus is firmly on prioritising others. This is a genuine intent that stretches beyond the football department and permeates throughout our organisation. It’s a whole of club approach.
“We are committed to emerging from this painful and challenging period and getting better. While we cannot rewrite history, we remain determined to learn from the past.”
Adelaide has also resisted requests from former Crow Josh Jenkins to release a detailed medical report from a club doctor that contains detailed testimony from players.
That report with the redacted identities of players was provided to the AFL and Safework SA but the club believes releasing it even without names publicly would allow the public to quickly identify the players involved.
Olsen, who was not at the club at the time of the camp, has spent the last four days attempting to forensically get to the bottom of what is known about the camp and his failings.
The Adelaide board held a Saturday morning meeting that detailed the next steps for the club as well as its duty of care to the current players, about a third of which were on the camp.
Olsen is expected to front a press conference at some stage this week where he will repeat the club’s apology and answer questions after a heavily criticised initial appearance from new CEO Tim Silvers.
The AFLPA is also asking all players on the list at the time of the camp for more information but admits it has no investigative or punitive mechanisms.
At best, it could ask for the AFL to reinvestigate the camp, with contrasting versions of how much detail it was given by media and players about the most alarming elements.
Originally published as Adelaide Crows camp fallout: Chairman John Olsen sits down with Matt Turner to discuss the club’s position
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