MATTHEW Nicks will reach out to Eddie Betts in light of his bombshell revelations about Adelaide's infamous pre-season camp, with the Crows coach committed to providing support to the club great and anyone else adversely affected.
Nicks, who replaced Don Pyke as senior coach after Betts had departed for Carlton after the 2019 season, told reporters on Friday that he was upset by his harrowing account of the 2018 camp held on the Gold Coast.
Betts detailed his distressing experiences on the ill-fated camp, that he found both culturally and personally offensive, in his autobiography that was released on Wednesday.
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"I was saddened to see how Eddie, and others, were affected so I’ll continue to reach out to the players and staff that were here at the time," Nicks said.
"There’s not many that were but there were some so I’ll continue to reach out to them.
"I’ll reach out to Eddie and some past players over the coming weeks just to see how they’re going because it’s sad to see players affected that way.
"We’re doing a lot of work around our past and trying to reconnect to get those guys back into the footy club.
"They’re a really important part of our history.
"This is a moment where we want to do the right thing, we’re working on prioritising others, which has been my motto since I arrived here … and part of that involves trust and part of that is putting others first."
Nicks revealed that he had addressed the playing group about the issue and checked in with individual players and staff, with none reporting any lingering distress.
"That’s not to say that there aren’t any out there (who are)," he said.
"We made sure that we sat down with the group, footy department staff and players, to just put it out there that the support is here if you need it.
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"Maybe over the coming weeks we’ll have some reach out but I’ve had a chat with a number of those players and staff that were here to check in and see how they’re going.
"I think everyone is affected in different ways, so we’ll just continue to work through that to make sure that our people are OK."
The revelations and subsequent media scrutiny made for a tumultuous backdrop to Adelaide’s preparations for Sunday’s clash against West Coast.
"I want to be really respectful of the situation and what is playing out here but for these guys it’s business as usual when it comes to our footy," Nicks replied when asked if his players had been distracted by the furore.
"It’s understandable that it is a distraction for some that aren’t within the footy department, but these guys have put their heads down.
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"Some of these guys are just starting their careers, they’re an extremely young group, not many were in the AFL five years ago let alone at this footy club.
"Whilst I respect the situation and it did sadden me to see the way that some players were affected, I’ll continue to be available for support and I will make contact with some of our past players and really try to bring them back into the footy club because they’re why I’m here."
