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Buckley had “checked in” with Davis - to learn about his experiences and get feedback on the club,in what was clearly a response toCollingwood’s commissioning ofDo Better,which had been prompted by the highlighting of past racism by another ex-Magpie,Heritier Lumumba.

Davis also spoke toThe Agein late September 2020 and again in 2021 about the racism he had experienced at Collingwood and how he had hoped to “break the mould” of the club’s environment. In the second,2021 interview,Davis said the Magpies could not move forward until they confronted and understood what had happened.

“I spoke to Leon a lot over the last 24 months and I think his perspective is really important,” Buckley,who stepped down as Collingwood coach midway through last season and is now a commentator at Fox Footy,toldThe Age.

“Being able to listen to him and learn from him and get a greater perspective on how he’s reflected on his time and to take his wisdom ... I really enjoyed those convos (conversations).

“I reached out to him I think. Through the beginning of last year,we had two or three long convos (conversations) and I was just checking in on,you know,from his perspective,how am I going? (Buckley),how are we going,what about the club? You know. Do you feel engaged? Tell me about back (then)?

Speaking at Fox Footy’s season launch in early March,Buckley said he had learned about the past at Collingwood from speaking with Davis. “I think you just can’t have another person experience,whether it’s a minority experience,whether it’s a diminished,or a disrespected - a feeling of disrespect - like you just cannot have someone else’s experience.”

Buckley said he and Davis had discussed specific incidents,but he said they would remain between the former teammates. Buckley did not coach Davis,who retired at the end of 2011,when Mick Malthouse was handing over to Buckley as senior coach.

“Yeah,we did,we spoke about specifics,but that will stay between us.”

Asked if he felt responsibility for what Davis had endured as an Indigenous footballer at the club,as his captain,Buckley said:“Yeah absolutely ... I think one thing that happens and is happening - it doesn’t make it right but,say you’re judging things that happened in the year 2005 on 2022 standards.

“Now there are a whole heap of things,on a whole heap of different levels,that happened 20 years ago that would not be acceptable when you pull it in to the current tense.

“Like sometimes that context is lost.”

Buckley said it was important to speak to Davis. “Whether it’s racism,whether it’s gender,whether,you know there’s plenty of reasons why people feel like they’re not heard or they’re not respected as much as they should be. But yeah,just to have that chat with Leon,who,I’ve got a lot of time for him. He committed so much to the club and he was amazing.”

Buckley said he had known Davis faced challenges when he came over to the club from Western Australia. “I knew it was challenging but then you realise exactly how challenging it is,” he said.

Davis had strong words on Collingwood last year. “For them to apologise but still believe[they] have done nothing wrong,the apology doesn’t mean shit,” he toldThe Age. “It doesn’t hold at all because you don’t understand first and foremost what you are apologising for,” Davis said.

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