4-time AFL premiership coach Alastair Clarkson has launched a second assertion addressing Hawthorn’s alleged mistreatment of First Nations gamers throughout his time in control of the membership.
Key factors:
- Clarkson first launched an announcement final Wednesday
- He says he’s “shocked and deeply distressed” by the allegations
- The AFL is but to announce the unbiased panel that will perform the investigation
An exterior evaluate commissioned by Hawthorn has alleged that Clarkson was amongst key figures on the membership who demanded the separation of younger First Nations gamers from their companions, and that he pressured one couple to terminate a being pregnant.
Clarkson mentioned he would cooperate with an AFL investigation, however he was involved that Information Corp’s publication of extracts from the evaluate had undermined any probability of a good course of.
He mentioned he needed to emphatically specific he didn’t behave within the method claimed within the evaluate.
“Since studying of the allegations first reported within the media final Wednesday I’ve been shocked and deeply distressed,” Clarkson mentioned within the assertion.
“It stays profoundly disappointing that these issues at the moment are being broadly canvassed within the public area with out the chance being given to me or others to present our accounts and even learn the Hawthorn report, which to at the present time I’ve not seen.
“The additional current publication of purported extracts from the report means I now have grave issues that any probability of a good course of and simply consequence have been severely undermined, if not irrevocably corrupted.
“The failure to take care of the confidentiality of the evaluate and additional damaging public hypothesis means I’ve no choice however to specific publicly, within the strongest and most emphatic phrases doable, that I didn’t behave within the method claimed.”
Clarkson mentioned he had “all the time appreciated and revered the distinctive journeys of First Nations gamers into the very best echelons of Australian guidelines soccer”.
“I’ve been dedicated to acknowledging and understanding their many various experiences and introduced all my efforts to making sure these gamers are given the chance to understand their desires,” he mentioned.
“However not at any price, and by no means at the price of their households as has been alleged. Any suggestion on the contrary is fake and deeply offensive.”
Clarkson mentioned the allegations in opposition to him had been “unfold broadly and generally introduced as indeniable issues of reality.
“I need to state that my clear reminiscence of the issues reported could be very completely different.”
The AFL is but to verify the make-up of the unbiased panel that will perform the investigation.
