Eddie McGuire fronts the media over a damning report into racism at Collingwood.Credit:Joe Armao
The report had said:“There is a gap between what Collingwood Football Club says it stands for and what it does.
“While claims of racism have been made across the AFL,there is something distinct and egregious about Collingwood’s history.”
The authors of the report,Professor Larissa Behrendt and Professor Lindon Coombes,both from the University of Technology in Sydney,spoke to dozens of current and former players and officials,all of whom were de-identified.
“While claims of racism have been made across the AFL,there is something distinct and egregious about Collingwood’s history.”
In the extraordinary press conference,the club sought to position the leaked release of the report - highly critical of its handling of racist issues over a long period - as a proud and positive day.
“This is an area fraught with danger and recrimination but we have decided as a club that this fight against racism,against discrimination of all types,is where we want to be,” McGuire said. “To acknowledge our place in the wider community’s lack of understanding at times and to put in place not just good intentions but even greater time,effort and resources to provide the systems to achieve our goals.
“We make mistakes,we learn,we strive to be better,but in working to build this club into a position that it is to today,to be able to make these announcements,we’ll continue to do our best to be a leading light in our community. It is why we commissioned this report,to not pay mere lip service to a worldwide tragedy but to lay the foundations for our people,our game and our community.”
Asked what response he had to the review’s findings coming under his watch,McGuire said “we’ve built a fantastic club” and referenced other aspects of the club’s off-field work that he is proud of.
“...If we were found wanting in the past it wasn’t because of intention,it might have been because of application or the systemic issues that we have in our football club,” he said.
“Because it is not BHP,it is a footy club and we have to look at these things. But we’re bigger than that,as I said in my introduction,we’re a big club now,men,women,different sports,all sorts of people in our community and supporters and sponsors.”
McGuire said he hoped Collingwood’s review,in which they put themselves out “to be marked,and marked hard” sparked introspection and change elsewhere.