THE AFL has on Monday received the independent report from the Collingwood Football Club conducted by Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt of the University of Technology, Sydney.
AFL Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan said the AFL will now review the findings, a process to be led by AFL Executive General Manager Social Policy and Inclusion, Tanya Hosch and AFL General Counsel Andrew Dillon.
READ THE FULL 'DO BETTER' REPORT Download the PDF here
"The AFL received the report today, and we will now formally review the information and recommendations and to also consider what else we can and should do as the governing body," Mr McLachlan said.
"In commissioning an independent report, the Collingwood Football Club acknowledged it needed to take a different approach, a stronger direction when it comes to its processes of dealing with racism and ensured they recognised the seriousness of racism.
"The mistakes of the past show that racism in any form or on any level is a serious issue and should not be interpreted in any other way. This report is an important step in the change Collingwood is implementing and demonstrates the seriousness in which the club takes the issue."
>> Read Collingwood's full statement
AFL Executive General Manager Social Policy and Inclusion, Tanya Hosch said we all must continue to confront the issue of racism across all areas of the community.
"These are hard conversations we need to have in order to become better as clubs, as a code and as a football community. We will continue to strengthen our commitment to confront, understand and fight all forms of racism and discrimination, on and off the field," Ms Hosch said.
"'Proud' is not a word I would use."
— News Breakfast (@BreakfastNews) February 1, 2021
AFL executive @tanyahosch on Eddie McGuire's response to the Collingwood racism report.
Ms Hosch tells @paulwkennedy it "wouldn't surprise me at all" if more AFL players came forward to share their experiences. pic.twitter.com/6VMklV0Dy8
"If any player, at any level of the game has been subject to vilification and not had the positive experience in football that we wish for all players to have, our commitment to you is to do everything in our power to listen to you, understand your experiences, support you, and act against further incidents.
"The AFL will also listen to and learn from the report and will continue to work with clubs and players wherever our game is played to provide a safe and inclusive environment for all.
"The report highlights now being the time for transparency, honesty and action and that is something we will need to take on board."
