AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan says senior Indigenous players have found it "hugely challenging" that alleged incidents of racism could have taken place at Hawthorn without them being aware of them.
McLachlan spoke with a group of current and former players including Shaun Burgoyne, Shane Edwards, Steven May, Neville Jetta and Eddie Betts in the wake of the fresh racism furore that has engulfed the competition.
The allegations raised by an external review into the Hawks included one player alleging Hawthorn coaches told him and his partner to terminate a pregnancy and separate so the player could focus on football.
Speaking to ABC TV's News Breakfast, McLachlan addressed his phone meeting with the players.
"What was confronting for them — and I think they'd be happy for me to talk about this — [Shaun] Burgoyne was there right through this period, and was confronted and challenged, he didn't see any sign of this. I know that was weighing heavily on him," he said.
Asked whether the issue of racism — including the booing of Adam Goodes, issues of systemic racism at Collingwood and the furore over the Adelaide Crows' infamous camp — had been his biggest challenge in his role at the AFL, McLachlan replied:
"The difficult days, days like yesterday … as I looked into the screens last night … I was incredibly disappointed in where we were. But what you actually do is you relish the opportunity to make change and to lead and to improve."
McLachlan said the league had taken the view that an independent investigation was warranted into the Hawthorn allegations, but for any future cases, it would depend on the nature and circumstances of allegations.
"I hope that history says that all allegations will be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly and confidentially," he said.
"And that's the challenging part about this, that these courageous people have come forward and now there's a huge spotlight on them. And I hope it doesn't deter them to lean in on this and have that conviction to tell their stories to this independent panel so that we can get to the bottom of this."
McLachlan also said he supported increased Indigenous representation at club level and did not rule out quotas to require an Indigenous Australian on all club boards.
His comments come as Indigenous football great Betts called for all AFL clubs to review their historical treatment of First Nations players after events at Hawthorn.
Betts said he was saddened but not surprised to learn of racism claims at Hawthorn, detailed in the independent report commissioned by the club and published by the ABC.
Betts said some of the allegations, which were described as "sickening" by the federal government, reminded him of the Stolen Generations.
"This could happen at any football club," Betts told Fox Footy on Wednesday night.
"And I think that every football club should do a review like this.
"Every football club should come out and do an external review, contact the Indigenous players and past Indigenous players and see how that footy club was."
Betts, who has publicly detailed his own experiences with racism in the AFL system and life, praised the unnamed players' bravery in speaking up as part of the Hawthorn review.
"It was a tough read, reading that today, but I wasn't surprised, to be honest," Betts said.
"Aboriginal people, we're not surprised … [because] we face these issues in many systems — in the education system, in the justice system, in the health system.
"It always comes back to what I've been preaching a lot, and that's education."
'Bigger picture'
Former Richmond player Phil Egan, who led Hawthorn's external review, said it had taken a personal toll.
He said he had experienced "occasional despair in trying to type up and read" what he heard.
Egan said there should be an investigation of the treatment of First Nations players across the AFL.
"I know that (AFL commissioner) Helen Milroy has — since she started on the commission — been calling out for a summit, a racism summit mandated by all clubs to attend and that's been dead-panned out somewhat," he told AM.
"But I think now the AFL can look at the bigger picture — or we can attempt to anyway — to arm the clubs with the structures and the understanding and the training to deal with not just First Nations players, but all players of diversity."
The allegations contained in the review have cast doubt on the coaching futures of Alastair Clarkson and Chris Fagan, with the AFL set to outsource an investigation into claims which centre on the pair's time at Hawthorn.
Clarkson will delay starting his fresh appointment as North Melbourne coach, which was scheduled to begin on November 1, while Fagan has taken leave from Brisbane.
Both men are cooperating with the league's investigation, but Clarkson issued a statement on Wednesday refuting any wrongdoing.
The AFL said both coaches would be afforded "natural justice" by an independent panel.
AAP/ABC
