Acting captain Jaeger O'Meara hopes Hawthorn can repair their relationship with retired star Cyril Rioli, saying they have made "strong grounds" on Indigenous issues.
Rioli and his wife Shannyn Ah Sam-Rioli are estranged from the club, with the Norm Smith Medallist and four-time premiership player saying he will not be involved there while Jeff Kennett remains president.
It is the result of issues Rioli said fractured the relationship between Hawthorn and its Indigenous players until his premature retirement in 2018, aged 28.
Rioli and his wife have detailed some Kennett comments they found offensive and also told of racist incidents that the club legend said contributed to his decision to retire.
"I was really saddened to see some of the comments - I wasn't here at that time, so all I can comment on is what we're doing at the moment," O'Meara said.
"We're making some really strong grounds in this space."
O'Meara played with Rioli at Hawthorn for 18 months before he left the game.
"I love the bloke, he's a very lovable character ... to see those comments, it really saddens you," O'Meara said.
"He'd walk into the club with a smile on his face all the time and brighten your day as well.
"We all want to rekindle that relationship and obviously there's a bit of a torn relationship there at the moment with Cyrile and Shannyn.
"So I'm really hopeful the club can put some steps in place ... we're really trying to get better in this space."
But O'Meara would not be drawn on whether Kennett should resign immediately, saying that is for the club board to decide.
"Obviously Jeff has been a politician and he's got a voice. But I don't read too much into any of those sorts of comments," he said.
O'Meara said club officials had spoken to the players on Saturday morning about the Rioli's comments.
"Our Indigenous players feel really culturally safe at the moment, so that's all I can speak to," O'Meara said.
"They're like brothers to us and we really want to nurture that. They're also doing a great job in educating us as well.
"Sam (coach Sam Mitchell) is really passionate about this, and not just because of these comments that have come out.
"Since he's taken over ... he's put some different things in place because he wants to improve the football club in this space."
More broadly, O'Meara said the club felt "completely different" since Mitchell took over from Alastair Clarkson.
"It's been refreshing to have a bit of a change," he said.
He is excited about the season so far, with the Hawks 2-1 after recovering from a slow start and losing to Carlton on Sunday by one point.
"We want to build a brand that will stand up in finals," O'Meara said.
