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That 'Meet Shae' was one of the most self-aggrandising things I think I've ever read. What a total w***er!
News Review into racism at Collingwood
- Thread starter 76woodenspooners
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jmac70
On the porch
I don’t think any single person is to blame. H gave himself the name, some people used it. Was it wrong, yes. But there was no malice.
H asked people to stop, and they did.
H has claimed that worse incidents of racism occurred, this needs to be investigated and acted on. Hopefully this will happen as part of the implementation of the review.
To quote our former President, I’m proud of the club today for taking this on. We can’t change the past, but I think we should be excited about the future.
jmac70
On the porch
I’d prefer not to meet Shae.
Grand Uncle Horace
Nice to see the famous NMFC#wishboner spirit livii
Leon Davis comments
www.theguardian.com
Former Collingwood player Leon Davis: 'We don't want our kids to have to go through the bullshit'
Drafted as an excited teenager, the First Nations man was stunned and isolated by racist bullying. ‘I don’t take any pleasure from Eddie stepping down,’ he says today. ‘The issues have not gone away’
It's a sad story, though Davis unlike Lumumba, was indigenous and seven year's earlier at the club than Lumumba. It's his story not Lumumba's - we learn nothing of Lumumba's experience through reading about what Davis had to endure. Certainly there is shame in the fact that no one from the club contacted him after the release of the report. In fact, I would have thought he would have been contacted during the compiling of the report, as he is one of 2 or 3 outstanding indigenous players at the club this century. If he, Krakouer and Brad Dick were not questioned about their experience at Collingwood then who was?!Leon Davis comments
Former Collingwood player Leon Davis: 'We don't want our kids to have to go through the bullshit'
Drafted as an excited teenager, the First Nations man was stunned and isolated by racist bullying. ‘I don’t take any pleasure from Eddie stepping down,’ he says today. ‘The issues have not gone away’
jmac70
On the porch
Thanks for posting that. Leon’s experiences confirm the reports findings. Can’t believe the club has not contacted him.Leon Davis comments
Former Collingwood player Leon Davis: 'We don't want our kids to have to go through the bullshit'
Drafted as an excited teenager, the First Nations man was stunned and isolated by racist bullying. ‘I don’t take any pleasure from Eddie stepping down,’ he says today. ‘The issues have not gone away’
sr36
Hall of Famer
Leon Davis comments
Former Collingwood player Leon Davis: 'We don't want our kids to have to go through the bullshit'
Drafted as an excited teenager, the First Nations man was stunned and isolated by racist bullying. ‘I don’t take any pleasure from Eddie stepping down,’ he says today. ‘The issues have not gone away’
Now that's got some power and credibility.
jmac70
On the porch
It does indeed.
Not sure that the report can ever be questioned.
My problem is some people basically blame two people - Ed and Bucks, which is absolutely ridiculous.
What I hope to be the case (and believe it to be so) is that when Kirby came on board recently he experienced a more inclusive culture than what Leon faced.
By the way, Contacting Leon, that is actually something Eddie probably would have done himself back in the day, but he ain't Collingwood anymore.
jmac70
On the porch
I think Leon will be getting a call from the club pretty soon.
Surely the panel contacted him. From where does the report's information come if not from past indigenous players?
Why? Because he has gone public with his bewilderment at not being already contacted?
- Mar 29, 2019
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I just feel so deflated reading that. What is wrong with this club?Leon Davis comments
Former Collingwood player Leon Davis: 'We don't want our kids to have to go through the bullshit'
Drafted as an excited teenager, the First Nations man was stunned and isolated by racist bullying. ‘I don’t take any pleasure from Eddie stepping down,’ he says today. ‘The issues have not gone away’
Pie eyed
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Neon was one of my favorite players.Leon Davis comments
Former Collingwood player Leon Davis: 'We don't want our kids to have to go through the bullshit'
Drafted as an excited teenager, the First Nations man was stunned and isolated by racist bullying. ‘I don’t take any pleasure from Eddie stepping down,’ he says today. ‘The issues have not gone away’
Had a 100% completion rate for kick-outs in his last year. Retired too soon.
He is right he deserves at very least a phone call and an apology from the club.
Maybe this may have happened sooner and unprompted had the Club not been wasting it's time "handling" the "leaked" report and lies that it was being covered up rather than dealing with the actual report.
We will never know.
- Mar 29, 2019
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I dont believe they would have.
I have no faith in the Clubs ability or appetite deal with this sort of thing with any empathy whatsoever. It's hard to fathom they are so clueless.
jmac70
On the porch
I’d say so. We tend to be reactive rather than proactive.
JB1975
Brownlow Medallist
Leon Davis comments
Former Collingwood player Leon Davis: 'We don't want our kids to have to go through the bullshit'
Drafted as an excited teenager, the First Nations man was stunned and isolated by racist bullying. ‘I don’t take any pleasure from Eddie stepping down,’ he says today. ‘The issues have not gone away’
A saddening read. Many points to digest in that, some of them subtle, others like hammer blows.
Leon doesn't want to stick the boots into Collingwood, he loves the club, but the failure of the club to have reached out to him shows that it is quite capable of damaging its own cause.
He strikes on the point that so many of the problems stem from broader ignorance about the past and present experience of Indigenous people. Just like in Leon's time, I reckon that the empathy which can lead towards deeper understanding is still lacking, which is certainly a problem in society as much as the club.
Another point seems glaring, which is that the aftermath of Leon speaking out was more difficult for him than the initial incident. He felt liked he'd rocked the boat.
My own sense of Heritier's case is along the same lines. Whatever Heritier's complicity in being called 'chimp', it seems that the atmosphere and attitude towards him after he called for an end to it became a more significant issue.
There are certain workplace cultures which engage in 'bastardisation', the ritualistic humiliation of new arrivals to demonstrate the power of the organisation and to prove the willingness of initiates to subordinate themselves to that power.
To make the individual feel 'small'.
What happens at football clubs is not on that level, but the dynamics can be very similar. We need to learn that the humiliations of Indigenous people in this country --and the humiliations of persons of colour more generally-- should not be drawn upon in any way to emphasise the power of the club, because to do so simply makes that club part of the bigger and deeper problem.
Its what happens when their was a racist president in charge
neilk
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Wasn't the story he wanted to be traded to Hawthorn, who were interested, but we wouldn't trade him. The next year we delisted him. He obviously hasn't forgiven the club.
Yes that was the case. Reports he spoke to Clarkson, and he relayed to Clarko that he wanted out of the Pies.
Lip Gallagher
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I've been calling bullshit on most of this but sadly Leon gives it credibility, pretty ordinary treating a young man like that.
jmac70
On the porch
Very sad to read.
The gutless players who did it should be thankful of Leon’s decency not to name them. Bet none of them have the courage to admit to it.
sr36
Hall of Famer
That's always been my read of HLs complaint. The thing is that he's offered nothing to support it. There is the story of Bucks telling him off for speaking publicly against the president - pretty easy to see how that probably had nothing to do with the racial issue that he spoke about. Then there's a strange story about Seedsmans leso nickname.
Leon's sad story doesn't support his complaint either. It supports the reviews talk about how badly we responded to racial issues, but not the suggestion that players were ostracised by management if they made racial concerns known.
- Aug 11, 2008
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This whole episode is not exclusive to Collingwood or even the AFL and beyond.
If the AFL was deadset serious, they'd have their own report into this at clubs...bet it won't happen though!
JB1975
Brownlow Medallist
I'm not entirely sure what you mean, but I'll respond.
I didn't make any point about being ostracised by management, but I'm more concerned to pick up on Leon's experience of feeling isolated and awkward within the club more generally after he made a complaint.
The relevant section from the article:
“It got sorted out to a certain extent, but it wasn’t dealt with the right way for sure. Back then – it’s similar now – people didn’t have the tools to deal with these issues.”
Davis says there were no repercussions for the players involved but he suffered consequences. He felt ostracised and alone.
“It was the aftermath that probably affected me the most,” he says. “Because then it went to being outcast and not in the in-crowd and finding my way on my own, that kind of stuff which was really difficult. It didn’t last forever, but it was something that was difficult.
“It’s a football club mentality. You’re all on a team and you’re supposed to have everyone’s back. After that [incident] it changed dramatically, where it was hard to be there.
From everything I've read about Heritier's issues with the club, and I acknowledge that it is difficult to get a clear picture, a good portion of his complaint seems to relate to the environment after the meeting about his nickname.
His story isn't the same as Leon's, and one doesn't necessarily support the other, but the consequences of airing a grievance do link the two. Given the fact that Leon has previously expressed sympathy and support for Heritier, and given the findings of the review into the club's response to complaints, it doesn't seem too controversial a point.
