Senior footy journalist Caroline Wilson has delivered a scathing assessment on the commentary of two AFL greats regarding the Hawthorn racism scandal, shredding inflammatory comments from Michael Long and branding Jordan Lewis “woefully ill-equipped” as an off-field leader.
In an article published in the Herald Sun on the back of an interview with Long, the Essendon icon argued former Hawthorn superstar Cyril Rioli “needs professional help”, said he’d “cut himself off from the world” and claimed “this is not a colour thing”.
Long’s claim that it’s “not a colour thing” referenced a comment from Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett about the jeans of Rioli’s wife, Shannyn, in 2018. Long is indigenous and is an uncle of Rioli.
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The commentary of Lewis, who played in all four AFL premierships with Rioli between 2008 and 2015, centred on an alleged comment from a non-indigenous player on an end-of-season trip in 2013. The player allegedly asked teammates whether the partner of an indigenous member of the squad, who was present at the time, was “also a boong”.
“What we felt, after speaking to that player, was after the initial night and then the subsequent following days was that he was OK,” Lewis, who was a member of the Hawks’ leadership group at the time of the incident, said on Fox Footy’s AFL 360.
“He was acceptive of the apology, it was a sincere apology and nothing was ever spoken in the years to come about that. Even speaking to the player nine or 10 years on, he had never had a second thought about that night.”
Speaking on Nine’s Footy Classified on Monday night, Wilson said she had “no doubt” the Riolis’ decision to talk to her for an article in The Age in early April was “a cry for help”.
But she reasoned that, regardless, the reported experience of the Riolis at Hawthorn may still have been tarnished by racism.
“It was an interesting article and it’s a different perspective, but it doesn’t erase Cyril’s recollections of what happened at Hawthorn,” Wilson said.
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In her takedown of Lewis, Wilson said the former Hawthorn midfielder was “definitely a great on-field leader” but “clearly” wasn’t capable of dealing with incidents like the alleged event on the 2013 footy trip.
“… listening to him (on AFL 360), woefully ill-equipped to deal with that incident involving an indigenous player and another teammate,” Wilson said.
“Why was it swept under the carpet? Why did Shaun Burgoyne never get told? Why did the indigenous liaison officer, Leon Egan, never find out? Both those men, by the way, including Burgoyne, were really disappointed it was never taken to them.
“The place was not culturally aware of the way they should be handling these incidents. They were not educated.”
Kennett’s comment regarding Shannyn’s jeans was the final straw in the breakdown of the Riolis’ relationship with Hawthorn, leading to the club legend making a shock retirement call midway through the 2018 season, at the age of just 28.
Hawthorn released a statement several days after Wilson’s article in The Age was published in early April.
“The past four days has been a time of reflection for our club,” said the statement, attributed to chief executive Justin Reeves.
“A time to continue to listen and learn.”
Kennett addressed the matter in a separate Hawthorn statement.
“Matters have been brought to our attention,” the Hawks boss said.
“We are taking them seriously, and any failings will be addressed.”
He then revisited the controversy in a speech at a president’s function on Sunday, ahead of Hawthorn’s clash with St Kilda at the MCG.
“I do not accept and I completely, absolutely, utterly reject that I am in any way racist,” Kennett said.
“It’s an awful slur for anyone to have to bear.
“And nor is our club racist and nor do I think the AFL community is racist…”
After arriving at Hawthorn via pick 12 in the 2007 national draft, Rioli played 189 AFL games with the Hawks.
The four-time premiership Hawk won the 2015 Norm Smith Medal for a phenomenal grand final performance against West Coast.
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