Is The AFL Racist?

[pussycat]

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/AFL/AFL ... 1v8cz.html

[Xman]

The AFL boss said every player had problems, regardless of background.
"[The player] might come from a well-to-do family, he might come from a family where he has literacy issues, he might be indigenous, he might not. All of our players have issues."
He said the recruiter's comments were "completely stupid".
"Why would you discriminate against someone based on their colour or their race and say 'I'm only going to select you as long as you have at least one white parent or two white parents?' I thought we'd gone past that."
He said the AFL did not tolerate any form of discrimination.
"We won't tolerate in any way shape of form any discrimination based on race, gender or sexual identity."
Mr Demetriou said the chief executive of the club in question was shocked to hear about the recruiter's comments.

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/AFL/AFL ... z1pGCAiJIx

No

[Xman]

MARK COLVIN: An alleged racism scandal has cost the recruiting manager of the Adelaide Football Club his job.

Matt Rendell resigned this evening after it emerged that he was the unnamed AFL official who reportedly said his club wouldn't draft an Indigenous player unless one of his parents was white.

Mr Rendell says his comments were taken out of context and that he has a strong record of recruiting Aboriginal players.

Earlier the AFL was forced to defend its hard won position on race relations, but regardless the row has sparked renewed debate about racism in the AFL.

Anna MacDonald reports.

ANNA MACDONALD: It's been an extraordinary 12 hours for the Adelaide Football Club. First there was the front page newspaper article that exposed the racist attitude of an unnamed recruiter from an unnamed AFL club.

But late this afternoon the Adelaide Crows held a press conference where they announced the resignation of their recruiting manager, Matt Rendell.

Rendell reportedly told the AFL's community engagement officer he wouldn't draft and Aboriginal player unless he had one white parent.

The Crow's chief executive officer, Steven Trigg says the comments were unacceptable and says Rendell would have been sacked had he not resigned.

STEVEN TRIGG: Well Matthew disputes the interpretation and the context of the reports of that meeting. He is aware that to continue in the role would be to attach those comments to the club.

ANNA MACDONALD: Dean Rioli is an Indigenous former Essendon player.

DEAN RIOLI: To say that you know unless they've got a white parent, that's just comments that you hear back in, you know, back in the early '60s and early '50s and, you know, we've come so far forward in the last 40 years and to make comments like that it's just a massive step backwards for those that are saying those things.

ANNA MACDONALD: The head of the AFL, Andrew Demetriou, says the league has a zero tolerance approach to racism and he labelled the comments "completely stupid".

The racism row has infuriated the coach of Greater Western Sydney, Kevin Sheedy.

KEVIN SHEEDY: If there's one or two rogue recruiting officers that need to be sorted out, then they'll get sorted out and we'll definitely smash them out of our game.

I will personally, I won't persecute them but they won't be happy with what's going to happen to them.

ANNA MACDONALD: The Race Discrimination Commissioner, Helen Szoke, has praised the AFL for its fostering of indigenous players. But she says this latest incident highlights a need to stamp out any racist attitudes still lingering within the league.

HELEN SZOKE: We have to be vigilant about keeping that message on track. Indigenous players have built our game, they've helped to build our game, and I think the AFL is to be commended today in coming out very strongly and very clearly in saying we will not tolerate racism in our game.

ANNA MACDONALD: Former AFL player, Dean Rioli, says the public underestimates how tough it is for young Indigenous players living in remote areas to even consider moving to a capital city to play professional football.

He says he desperately hopes today's drama doesn't undo decades of important work.

DEAN RIOLI: You want everyone to achieve and try and reach their goals but you know I think with comments like these you're just going to get remote people, I don't know just you know not even going to bother trying which is exactly what we don't want.

MARK COLVIN: Dean Rioli, ex of Essendon, ending that report by Anna MacDonald.

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2012/s3455391.htm

[Xman]

It can also be revealed that a $15 million centre aimed at equipping indigenous youths from remote communities with the skills to make it in the AFL - to be called the Michael Long Academy - is expected to open in Darwin next year.

The Age 17/3/12

[Beaussie]

What a silly thread from you pussycat.

One disgraced and no longer recruiter is not the AFL.

As Vlad says:

He said the AFL did not tolerate any form of discrimination.

"We won't tolerate in any way shape of form any discrimination based on race, gender or sexual identity."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/AFL/AFL-news/comp ... z1pLGxIJr5

[Xman]

MARCH 18, 2012 ARTICLE 2 OF 42
I'm no racist, says Rendell

Recruiter Matthew Rendell.
JON PIERIK AND AHMER KOKHER

DUMPED Adelaide recruiter Matt Rendell last night moved to clear his name by declaring he is not a racist and has never opposed drafting indigenous players.

As the fallout over his comments claiming he was unlikely to draft an indigenous player unless he had a white parent continued to reverberate, including club legend Andrew McLeod weighing in, Rendell said his remarks to AFL community engagement manager Jason Mifsud had been taken out of context.

''I've never been racist to anyone and I've never been opposed to recruiting Aboriginal players,'' Rendell said. ''In fact, I have regularly recruited indigenous players throughout my involvement in football and I want to see more Aboriginal players at AFL clubs - not less.

''One line out of a 20-minute conversation has been taken out of context. Sometimes in life shit happens and this is one of those times.''

Rendell suggested there was more to his story, which he would disclose on Channel Nine's Footy Classified tomorrow night.

''It's disappointing, which is why I've decided to tell the truth, about exactly what happened and what was said, on Monday night,'' he said.

McLeod, the Crows' games record-holder, released a statement last night, saying he had been devastated by the claims.

''Disappointed would be an understatement, quite simply I am very shattered that my football club has been questioned over its attitude to not recruit Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island players if they have two black parents. If this was the case and I had an inkling that my club was racist, I wouldn't have spent 16 years in that establishment,'' he said. ''I simply cannot sit by and let a club I consider like family, a place that I was nurtured in and gave me an opportunity to achieve a boyhood dream without any bias or prejudice, be dragged through the mud and have its name tarnished as racist.

''Regardless of the allegations or comments made or whether they were taken out of context, I'm not going to pass judgment on someone without knowing the facts, especially if I was not privy to the conversation.

''What I do know is that in all my dealings with Matt Rendell I have never seen it. We had him involved in our Aboriginal forums with the SANFL players last year and he was very good. I will be as keen as anyone to hear him explain his side of the story.''

The Age 18/03/12

[AFL Warrior]

You too can be part of the Pride of South Australia so long as you have at least one white parent.....

[Xman]

Looks like tha AFL Warriors true colors are shining through.

About your comment though, one of Australia's best indigenous AFL players, Andrew McLeod, disagrees. I think he knows a lot more about the AFC than you.

[AFL Warrior]

How do you know what my true colours are Xman? Seems you like to put words into people's mouths.

[Xman]

How do you know what my true colours are Xman? Seems you like to put words into people's mouths.

Your comment about the crows is rubbish. You also regularly come on here and make racist remarks about natives. I don't think you're being entirely honest with us about which code you support.

[AFL Warrior]

Where I have made racist commens about Natives? A lot of my best friends are Natives.

[Xman]

Where I have made racist commens about Natives? A lot of my best friends are Natives.

Exhibit A

[AFL Warrior]

What exhibit? You sure your not a pretend G Man?

[Raiderdave]

gee I'd like all questions this easy thank you

answer


well duuuurrrrrrrrh

it is the most racist sport in this country
probably on the planet

[Xman]

gee I'd like all questions this easy thank you

answer


well duuuurrrrrrrrh

it is the most racist sport in this country
probably on the planet

Very bold statement there. Got any evidence?