A former Hawthorn coach accused his colleagues of using “bullying and intimidation’’ against Indigenous players and running the AFL club like the “Russian Mafia’’.

What we know:

• In new revelations out of the club’s review of its handling of Indigenous players, the coach singled out Alastair Clarkson, Chris Fagan and Mark Evans (The Australian $);
• The anonymous whistleblower, who is not Indigenous, told the reviewers: “If you dare question their methods, you were frozen out.”
• The review report asserts that senior figures at the club employed “bullying and intimidation tactics … to be used to isolate First Nations players from their families and communities” (Herald Sun $);
• One account suggests that Clarkson marched into the home of a pregnant woman and intimidated her, while another suggested he made offensive comments to another player (The Age);
• Another player said he was not allowed to see his daughter until she was four months old, and the club’s treatment of him prompted him to make multiple suicide attempts;
• Testimony revealed last week suggested Clarkson was part of a group that told a player he should terminate his unborn child;
• Both Clarkson and Fagan have rejected any wrongdoing and stepped aside from their respective roles as a new AFL investigation takes place, with both potentially missing the start of next season (news.com.au);
• The new review faces challenges, with “deep reservations” from First Nations families to expand on the accusations (Fox...

Read Full Story: https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/post/max-opray/2022/09/28/hawthorn-whistl...