AFL commission chairman Richard Goyder apologised to Swans great Adam Goodes at last night’s Australian Football Hall of Fame awards, describing the league’s failure to stand with Goodes during the 2015 booing of the Sydney Swans champion as a “stain for our game”.
Goodes declined to accept induction into the Australian Football Hall of Fame, Goyder addressed the issue again at the start of Tuesday night’s ceremony.
He said the end of the dual Brownlow Medallist’s AFL career was an incredibly difficult period that caused great hurt for the Indigenous great.
Goodes was driven from football six years ago due to racism but it took until 2019 for the AFL to unreservedly apologise for not supporting him.
Goyder said he understood why the Swans legend knocked it back his induction at this time.
“Adam Goodes is one of the greatest players in our game’s history and has given our game more than it could ever return to him with his service on and off the ground,” Goyder said.
“The conclusion to his AFL career with the Sydney Swans was an incredibly difficult period that caused great hurt for Adam and the subsequent time it took for the game to recognise and apologise for this hurt also had a very significant impact.
“Our failure to stand with him at the time it was happening and call out what was happening was a stain for our game.
“We wish only the best for Adam as a husband and father, and leader within our community.”
In June, when Goodes’ Hall of Fame decision became public, Goyder said the league did not do enough to stand with the Swans superstar.
“The unreserved apology that the game provided him in 2019 was too late, but, on behalf of our Commission and the AFL, I apologise unreservedly again for our failures during this period,” he said.
“Failure to call out racism and not standing up for Adam let down all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players, past and preset.
‘We hope that there will be a time in the future when Adam will want to be connected to the game again.
“This is a decision for Adam and Adam only and we understand and respect his choice.”
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