Chris Fagan, Brisbane Lions coach and former Hawthorn staffer, says he would welcome the opportunity to present his side of the Hawks’ racism scandal in court.
Fagan told Seven News on Tuesday night that he was upset that mediation talks had failed, but he maintained to assert his innocence.
“I’ve maintained my innocence all the way along and I’m quite happy for that process to unroll and for us to go to the Federal Court, where we have to talk under oath,” the elderly man said to Seven.
“It’s a proper court proceeding.”
On Monday, the Australian Human Rights Commission dismissed a claim against Hawthorn by First Nations ex-players and their partners due to a breakdown in negotiations.
The commission’s decision, based on its belief that the parties were too far apart, gave the players and partners, including former champion Cyril Rioli and his spouse, Shannyn, 60 days to file and take the case to the Federal Court.
The main point of contention between Hawthorn and the former players and partners was the club’s unwillingness to make an explicit admission of racism in dealing with the players and partners, in allegations first raised in a cultural safety review commissioned by the club and reported by the ABC in the grand final week of 2022.
Fagan stated that while the claims were not a hindrance in his present capacity as Lions coach, they had a personal impact.
“[I’ve] been living with that for the last 18, 20 months, so it’s quite normal now,” Fagan told Seven about the ongoing story.
“I’d prefer not be involved in all of this, especially for the sake of your family and friends, but that’s the way things are.
“[It will be] some time before we actually get to have that [court] hearing, so we’ll see how all of that goes.”
The Lions, who lost a thrilling grand final to Collingwood last year, are currently 13th on the ladder with only four victories in 11 games this season.They were defeated by the Hawks at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
Former Hawthorn coaches Alastair Clarkson (now North Melbourne coach) and Fagan, welfare manager Jason Burt, and former football administrator Cam Matthews were all involved in the commission meetings, with each meeting with the relevant players to try to resolve any issues.
Hawthorn faced a difficult task in satisfying the grievances of the First Nations players and partners, as well as the former authorities, who had vigorously fought any suggestion that they had acted in a racist manner.
The AFL did not participate in the Human Rights Commission hearing, as the league had established a four-member panel to investigate the charges. Last year, the AFL exonerated former Hawthorn officials of any wrongdoing under league rules. Hawthorn has not received any official sanction either.
In their 2023 annual report, the Hawks allocated $1.5 million to cover future liabilities from settlements or legal bills related to the scandal.
GET MORE NEWS HERE
Leave a Reply