Scapegoated is the word in regard to Dean Bailey and Chris Connolly. The AFL couldn’t or wouldn’t sanction those responsible.
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Clarkson and Fagan are going to get away with this aren’t they?
In what world does an adult need a company official to be with him when he breaks up with his pregnant mrs, and what we’re Burt,Fagan and Clarkson thinking in going with him to do it.
The whole thing stinks and doesn’t add up. Sad part is I can see them all getting away with it
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Not disputing they were scapegoats. Several were “penalised” as a result of that investigation, however you want to define that.
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AFL world.
Clarkson is lucky they don’t have a “you have to be this high” sign to get a ride.
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Welfare Officer doesn’t seem to have much of an idea about welfare? He comes out of that interview looking worse?
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Until it stops becoming boring, and people employ people at clubs who will actively listen to indigenous welfare officers and actually understand where they are coming from when it relates to indigenous welfare, there’s not much hope at change.
Having Rioli on the board (is that right?) is massive (no pun) because it creates that understanding. Having sheedy on the board is huge cause he gets it.
Clarkson, Fagan, Burt (or Ernie or W.T.F), Kennett, the AFL, litigants, the media still do not understand how differently this all translates to an indigenous person.
We are all supposed to go along with how unfair this is on Clarkson? How unjust, how that he’s clearly done nothing wrong, how this shouldn’t be dragging on, how this is confusing, hard to comprehend? The psychological impact, how alone he’s feeling?
This is the ■■■■ most indigenous people have to deal with the minute they get out of bed.
■■■■ the lot of them. Let them carry the cross for a bit then they might have a better understanding of why all this is bigger than them.
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They were there to “force” the issue using their influential “power” over the player.
101 bully the employee
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I thought the pregnancy was planned?
Certainly does.
Comes across as incompetent and ignorant
Not just three grown men, these guys are your employers. So do you really want to be a footballer?
I’d have thought that Connolly and Schwab were the ones responsible.
My apologies for having to keep asking.
Can someone please post the article in the HS. Thanks in advance.
‘Insanity’: Hawk family hits back as racism saga erupts
One of the families pursuing action against Hawthorn has described a tell-all interview by ex-Hawk official Jason Burt as “a disgrace”. SUBSCRIBE to read the statement in full.
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The Hawthorn racism scandal has exploded amid fresh allegations over former coach Alastair Clarkson’s role in the “forced separation” of a First Nations couple.
In a dramatic escalation of the crisis, lawyers for “Zac” and “Kylie” – a husband and wife caught up in the saga – released a statement detailing the club’s role in facilitating their 2013 break-up after former Hawthorn player welfare manager Jason Burt gave his own version of events on Saturday.
Lawyer Dr Judy Courtin, who represents the Hawks’ couple, detailed how Zac was “visibly distressed and uncontrollably crying” when Clarkson allegedly “dominated and led the discussion” about his “forced separation” from his pregnant partner.
Dr Courtin said that the couple were “disgusted” at how events that had allegedly taken place at Hawthorn were being “downplayed, and in some instances, entirely misrepresented”.
Burt confirmed on Saturday that he, Clarkson and then Hawks footy boss Chris Fagan had gone to the couple’s home when Zac told Kylie that their relationship was over.
But Dr Courtin contradicted Burt on several key points, alleging that the day before that discussion Burt had invited Zac’s mum to a meeting to “discuss and plan” the “separation” – without ‘Zac’s knowledge.
“Burt says that: ‘It wasn’t a pretty discussion and ‘Zac’ came and delivered the news’. That is incorrect. ‘Zac’, visibly distressed and uncontrollably crying, barely spoke in that meeting and it was Clarkson who dominated and led the discussion,” Dr Courtin said.
A view of some close to the AFL investigation has been that some of Clarkson’s conduct has been unfairly characterised as racism, given his hard-nosed approach to all of his players.
Clarkson, Fagan and Burt have denied any wrongdoing.
The Clarkson camp said on Saturday night it was aware of Dr Courtin’s statement, but declined to comment.
The war of words comes as AFL chiefs scramble to find a resolution in the almost nine-month-long racism storm.
Dr Courtin is already preparing a civil court action against Hawthorn over the claims.
She said her clients maintained Burt and Kylie’s mum were “outside the house and not privy to the majority of the conversation inside with Clarkson, Fagan, Zac and Kylie.”
She also claimed that correspondence from the time speaks to a conversation between Burt and Kylie with Burt saying the separation was not “instigated by Zac, rather by Clarkson”.
The lawyer’s statement quotes Kylie as saying: “Not once had Jason said Zac wanted to end the relationship, in fact it was reiterated to me as entirely the opposite.”
She also said Burt contradicted himself in the interview when he said he, Clarkson and Fagan had met in a corridor when all three decided to go to the meeting at Zac and Kylie’s house.
Burt also told Nine: “In the process, Clarko said: ‘I’ll come’. Fages said: ‘I’ll come’. I said: ‘I’m already there’.”
Dr Courtin also claimed Burt knew her clients had become engaged.
Kylie said in the statement: “Jason absolutely knew we were engaged. Zac had distributed engagement party invitations at the club prior to the meeting and after the meeting Burt texted me to see if I needed help cancelling the engagement party.”
Zac also said: “Not only did Burt know that we were engaged, he knew Kylie was pregnant with a planned pregnancy.”
The couple have questioned Burt’s expression of regret over what had happened at Hawthorn, detailing their belief that he had contacted Zac’s previous employer and family members after the initial story broke in September last year, seeking “information” on Kylie.
Dr Courtin said the couple had been left with “scars and significant trauma” from the association with Hawthorn, dismissing Burt’s view that they had “left the HFC better people” as “insanity.”
Burt said in the Nine Media interview that he had agreed to accompany the player in going to see his partner to end the relationship.
“At the time I gave this consideration and thought, ‘This is probably edgy’,” he said.
“In the process, Clarko said: ‘I’ll come’. Fages said: ‘I’ll come’. I said: ‘I’m already there’.
“It wasn’t a pretty discussion and ‘Zac’ came and delivered the news.”
He said the addition of Clarkson and Fagan at the meeting with the player and his partner could now be considered “over the top”.
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“It probably should have been just me in with ‘Zac’ … I think that would have been far less intimidating,” Burt said.
This allegation of separation was first aired in Hawthorn’s cultural review conducted last ye
STATEMENT FROM JUDY COURTIN RELATING TO ZAC AND KYLIE
"What a mess. What a disgrace”.
These are the words of my clients.
We represent “Kylie’’ and “Zac” in a civil claim for the harm caused to them when “Zac” was a player at the HFC. Last year, the HFC caused a whole new bout of harm to my clients when the findings of its ‘Cultural safety Review’, in which my clients participated, were reprehensibly mismanaged by the Club.
The Review and its disturbing findings were the making of the club and, thus, its responsibility.
The HFC shamefully shirked that responsibility by relinquishing it to the AFL to fix. But ‘fixed’ it is not. Battle lines have been entrenched. Too many peoples’ lives have been turned upside down, including my clients, and there is no end in sight.
What could have been a restorative and healing process underpinned by the truth, has been seriously corrupted.
“Zac” and ‘‘Kylie’’ are lionhearted people. They feel for the suffering of all parties in this regrettable saga, including those accused in the Cultural Safety Review. But my clients want the truth to be told and acknowledged. They want and need some justice and they want to heal.
Jason Burt has come out in today’s Age and provided his version of events in relation to my clients.
Whilst our clients are grateful to Jason Burt for acknowledging some elements of the past events, they are disgusted at how they are being downplayed, and in some instances, entirely misrepresented.
Burt talks about the fateful day when he, Clarkson and Fagan took “Zac” to his own home to tell “Kylie” that “Zac” is leaving the relationship.
The day before, Burt had invited “Zac’s” mother to a meeting with Clarkson and Fagan to discuss and plan the ‘separation’ of “Zac” and “Kylie”. This was done without “Zac’s” knowledge.
Burt says that: “It wasn’t a pretty discussion and “Zac” came and delivered the news.”
This is incorrect. “Zac”, visibly distressed and uncontrollably crying, barely spoke in that meeting and it was Clarkson who dominated and led the discussion.
Our clients say that on this day, Burt and “Kylie’s” mum were outside the house and were not privy to the majority of the conversation inside with Clarkson, Fagan, “Zac” and “Kylie”.
Further, correspondence from the time speaks to a conversation between Burt and “Kylie” with Burt saying the separation was not instigated by “Zac”, rather by Clarkson.
“Kylie” says: “Not once had Jason said “Zac” wanted to end the relationship, in fact it was reiterated to me as entirely the opposite.”
Burt, in today’s article in the Age, says that he, Clarkson and Fagan met in a corridor and all three decided to go to the meeting at “Zac” and “Kylie’s” house. On the other hand, Burt says: “In the process, Clarko said, ‘I’ll come’. Fages said, ‘I’ll come.’ I said. ‘I’m already there’.”
Burt stated that he did not know “Zac” and “Kylie” had just become engaged. “Kylie” says: “Jason absolutely knew we were engaged. “Zac” had distributed engagement party invitations at the club prior to the meeting, and after the meeting Burt texted me to see if I needed help cancelling the engagement party”.
To counter Burt’s views in today’s article, “Zac” tells me: “Jason’s version is completely inaccurate. I was set to play a game that weekend, I’d gone to training feeling good. I knew exactly where my footy was at, it was speaking for itself’.
“Kylie” and “Zac” question Burt’s ‘regret’ portrayed in today’s Age article. After this story broke in September 2022, Burt contacted “Zac’s” previous employer and family members seeking ‘information’ on “Kylie”.
“Zac” and “Kylie” insist that the HFC instigated the ‘meddling’ – the forced separation of “Zac” and “Kylie”.
“Zac” says: ‘Not only did Burt know that we were engaged, he knew “Kylie” was pregnant with a planned pregnancy’.
My clients say: ‘For Burt to insinuate that we left the HFC better people, is insanity. We left that club with scars and significant trauma’.
My clients look forward to the day when they can have a face-to-face meeting with Clarkson, Fagan and Burt. “Zac” and “Kylie” want what is right.
Finally, it was noted in today’s Age article, that I declined to comment on Burt’s version of events. It was neither possible nor proper to comment when I had not read the article and had not received instructions from my clients. Only now is the right time to comment.
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Sorry forgot to hit reply to your post. See above
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The story just keeps getting murkier.
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As clarified by their lawyer, which makes it worse. Because it was not wanted by Clarkson and co, they seemed to have considered they had the right to decide what should be done, in what they perceived to be the interests of the coaching staff ( from whom the Welfare person took his directions).
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And yet the AFL have pretty well decided there’s no case to answer
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Jason Burt’s interview is the worst of its kind since Prince Andrew dropped himself into the poo. The more Burt says the worse it looks for him and the others. So many contradictions, so many lies. In trying to garner some support and sympathy for his denial, he comes out absolutely stinking sky high.
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Scripted by his lawyers though? Initially, most of the facts weren’t in contest, it was more how they were construed , their context and whether they were racist.
Then he throws in other purported facts and their context, the engagement with the player’s mother in the separation, whether she was a driving force in seeing separation as in her son’s interests, whether the partner was a bad influence on him.
It was presented as the player needing support from Burt and co to manage a break up that he wanted.
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There were so many points of difference and contention between the two versions, that it now makes Burt’s interview look very ill advised.
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