Indigenous players launch lawsuit against AFL

[Percel]

Indigenous former players have launched a class action against Australian Rules football bosses for failing to protect them from racist insults on the field, their lawyers said on Saturday.
The “vile racial abuse” resulted in “life-altering damage” to the players, said Margalit Injury Lawyers, which is handling the claim against the governing Australian Football League.

“The racial abuse suffered by players was extreme – not just words, but repugnant physical acts such as spitting and violence,” the legal firm’s managing principal Michel Margalit said in a statement provided to AFP.

“The AFL was aware of this racial abuse and, as the keeper of the code, failed to take decisive action to protect players.”

The group of seven former players is led by Phil Krakouer, a star player with North Melbourne in the 1980s.

“I was a 22-year-old kid that tried out for the big league. I was completely naive and full of dreams. I was hoping that great things were going to happen. It was a professional sport and the AFL allowed us to be abused and traumatised,” Krakouer said.

“We signed up to play football, not to be racially abused.”

Others are expected to join the suit, which covers Indigenous people who were AFL players or officials from 1975 to 2022, the lawyers said.

 

[Nostradumbass]

Can I sue my primary school for being called a wog back in the 80s?

 

[Roby]

Can I sue my primary school for being called a wog back in the 80s?

Typical post from this user.

 

[bird_man]

They were made to put up with some God awful things back in the day.

 

[_Mike_]

Very interesting and important case. The Limitations of Actions Act VIC 1958 imposes a 6 year period in which an applicant can launch civil action for a claim of damages against a civil tort.

The applicant would need to appply to the Courts to invoke s27 K(2) to extend the limitation period in which to bring an action, the applicant would need to argue the reason is “just and reasonable” to do so.

Psychological trauma from racist behaviour experienced by the applicants would then be argued as compensable damage under the wrongs act. The applicant (players) then sue the AFL as the legal identity, opposed to directly suing past players/officials employed by the AFL.

 

[Call Me Cake]

 

[oak79]

Are we becoming America?

Everyone trying to sue for something. It seems like former players want to destroy the afl

Yes the racism was / is terrible - so sue the people doing it, not the AFL.

 

[kranky al]

Are we becoming America?

Everyone trying to sue for something. It seems like former players want to destroy the afl

Yes the racism was / is terrible - so sue the people doing it, not the AFL.

That should be easy. Simply do an identikit based on your 40 year old memory, then the police commissioner will cancel all leaves till the miscreant is found.

If you didn’t actually see, rather you heard him, just get every footy fan from that era to line up and yell - you silly Aboriginal fellow at the top of their voice till you twig a memory.

I am very smrt.

 

[My Tilly]

They were made to put up with some God awful things back in the day.

Even heard club trainer(s) would not rub oil on their arms or legs before a game because they were Aboriginal. You hear that stuff today and it's difficult to fathom.