The AFL is “asking questions” about who leaked contents of Hawthorn’s infamous First Nations welfare review.
The independent panel set up to investigate claims of racism at the Hawks between 2008 and 2016 was disbanded last month as no adverse findings were found against Alastair Clarkson, Chris Fagan or Jason Burt.
However, four-time Hawthorn premiership star Cyril Rioli has since revealed himself as one of the six complainants who have vowed to take their case to the Human Rights Commission.
When announcing the end of the AFL’s official probe, outgoing league boss Gillon McLachlan’s anger about how the allegations first surfaced via an ABC report last September was visible.
“The parties acknowledge that the manner in which their allegations were leaked to the media was not in any party’s best interests,” McLachlan read out in an AFL statement.
On Friday, McLachlan said he was determined to get to the bottom of the leak.
After being shocked by the contents of Phil Egan’s Binmada report into the welfare of First Nations players, Hawthorn management informed the AFL about the claims.
Before the AFL or Hawthorn could respond to the harrowing allegations, the ABC published a report just days before last year’s grand final.
McLachlan said he remained unsure about who leaked the details of the report but was “very real” about trying to find out.
“I’d really like to know because I think it’s a sort of caused a lot of angst and a lot of pain,” McLachlan told 3AW.
“Yeah, we’re asking some questions.
“I think it’d be a pretty implausible scenario, though, that the AFL would leak something like that.
“I think the way it leaked put everyone in a more vulnerable position – the complainants, the defendants, the club, the league.”
Clarkson, Fagan and Burt have strenuously denied any wrongdoing in connection with the claims from the start.
– AAP
