Victims of Racist Claims

The AFL is gripped in yet another alleged racism scandal.

Or that’s what the media would have you believe.

This time centred on a review into the Hawthorn football club and supposed advice rendered by club officials, including former coach Alastair Clarkson to players.

Some of the allegations include:

• Coaches allegedly pressured some players to split with their families, remove SIM cards from their phones and use new ones as part of a strategy to cut them off from their partners and focus them entirely on football success.
• One player, after his partner became pregnant,  told the ABC that “Clarkson just leaned over me and demanded that I needed to get rid of my unborn child and my partner ... He told me to kill my unborn kid.”

It’s understood the allegations involve Aboriginal players. This instantly invokes the 'it must be racist rule', hence the media pile on.

However, any thoughtful person sees this as a red-herring created to suit an agenda.

It’s not known if other, non-indigenous players, faced similar blunt counsel from their coaches or other mentors in support of their football careers.

The question I ask is why does the skin colour of the players matter in this report?

After all, plenty of young men have aspects of their lives that may leave them emotionally or physically vulnerable and unable to perform at the best.

In such circumstances, they often seek advice about how to deal with these problems from those they trust or those they perceive as having more experience or wisdom.

Sometimes that advice is pretty tough to hear but ultimately the decision to heed it or not is up to the individual. They are responsible for the choices they make.

And what of these allegations?

Frankly, if a young bloke came to me seeking counsel about a dysfunctional family having a negative impact on his career, I’d probably tell him to minimise contact with the offending parties too.

If that disruption involved persistent and  unwanted text messages or phone calls I’d also suggest he change SIM cards as well.

Many, including me, will perceive the issue of advocating for the termination of a pregnancy differently but, my moral views aside,  the option of  abortion is defended by many of those seemingly outraged now.

Heck, just a couple of months ago people were marching in the streets about the right to have an abortion.

Why are they outraged when the option is raised in a conversation between two blokes discussing a pregnant girlfriend?

I can assure you it isn’t the first time one man has raised this circumstance with another.

Whatever the advice, and it doesn’t matter if you agree with it or not,  ultimately it becomes a decision of the two directly involved in the pregnancy.

As to the emotive language allegedly used. I don't buy that for a second.

No responsible adult would stand over someone and demand they  'kill your child' to someone seeking advice about a pregnancy.

I could easily imagine a conversation about termination being an option in a discussion between coach and a player seeking advice. . After all that's what pregnancy counselling services do all the time.

Why the outrage now?

And what difference does the skin colour of the recipient of the advice make at all? In fact, making that an issue is actually racist in itself.  

It’s so easy to condemn the coaches allegedly involved ( as the media have) but one of them, Alastair Clarkson released a statement saying

“I was not afforded any due process and I refute any allegation of wrongdoing or misconduct and look forward to the opportunity to be heard as part of the AFL external investigation.”

If that is true, it makes this entire story even more appalling.

Leaking a secret report to the ABC that publicly accuses two stalwarts of the game of career destroying allegations, when they haven’t been afforded due process is a disgrace.

It’s a sham trial in which you have not been able to defend yourself while the words of your accusers are accepted as fact.

It’s even more convenient that the accusers names have been kept out of the public domain.

This is appropriate when someone is a victim but in the absence of a bona fide process, the real victims I see here are Clarkson and Fagan.