Coaches to Meet Players Over Historical Racism Allegations

Two AFL coaches will today attend conciliation sessions at the Human Rights Commission in Melbourne with former players who levelled allegations of systemic racism at the Hawthorn club. Former Hawthorn player Cyril Rioli, who retired in 2018 after playing nearly 200 games in the AFL competition, is the most prominent player alleging mistreatment of Indigenous players. An investigation was launched in 2022, which led to a subsequent report. Although the confidential report was never formally released, key allegations were aired by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in the build-up to the 2022 Grand Final and triggered an investigation by the AFL in 2023. The allegations detailed an unnamed player who was coerced by coaches to terminate the pregnancy of his partner, and break up with her for the betterment of his career....