Hawthorn have returned serve in opposition to the group of Indigenous ex-players and their companions who made bombshell accusations of racism in opposition to Chris Fagan and Alastair Clarkson.
The membership have claimed, as a part of their authorized defence which was launched on Thursday by the Federal Courtroom, that one of many former gamers, Carl Peterson, was withdrawn from the 2010 elimination closing staff to play Fremantle resulting from marijuana use within the week earlier than the match, which the Hawks had been knowledgeable of by way of his accomplice Nikita Rotumah.
Shortly after, in October 2010, the then-23 12 months outdated, who had performed 17 matches for the 12 months together with the final three rounds of the home-and-away season, was delisted.
In a separate incident, they allege Peterson was ‘incoherent’, seemed to be ‘affected by alcohol or illicit substances’ when picked up at Melbourne Airport by former improvement coach David Flood in mid-2009, having returned to Perth resulting from his grandfather’s sickness.
In keeping with the defence, Peterson additionally instructed Flood he had misplaced his clothes and had nothing in his checking account.
Ex-Hawthorn participant Carl Peterson. (Picture by Quinn Rooney/Getty Photos)
The defence states Peterson, who has accused Clarkson of telling him and Rotumah to interrupt up and to terminate their being pregnant, was recruited regardless of ‘issues regarding his drug use and his failure of a voluntary drug check in or round that point’ on the finish of 2008, which the Hawks declare triggered him to be delisted by Richmond.
Hawthorn have additionally rejected Peterson’s accusation in opposition to Clarkson, saying he, in addition to Fagan and former participant welfare supervisor Jason Burt solely discovered about his accomplice’s being pregnant in late July or early August, with the alleged assembly happening earlier than that.
The membership allege that former nice Cyril Rioli, one other of the ex-Hawks on the centre of the courtroom case, had signed a deed of launch stopping him from taking Federal Courtroom motion on the time of his retirement in 2018.
In addition they argue Rioli’s declare Clarkson nicknamed him ‘Humphrey B Bear’ was not a racist taunt, however moderately resulting from him being quiet off the sphere.
The Hawks describe the go well with, which options claims from the gamers they suffered psychological trauma and lack of earnings because of the membership’s negligence, as ‘an abuse of course of’, with the accusations in opposition to Clarkson, Fagan and Burt ‘obscure and embarrassing’.
For the reason that bombshell allegations in opposition to Clarkson, Fagan and Burt had been first made public by the ABC in 2022, the Hawthorn racism scandal has proved an extended and controversial course of.
Each Clarkson and Fagan had been briefly stood down by North Melbourne and Brisbane respectively instantly following the stories, whereas Clarkson took indefinite go away from the Kangaroos in mid-2023 resulting from stress.
An AFL investigation launched in September 2022 discovered no proof of wrongdoing in opposition to the trio, whereas the Federal Courtroom case was launched after a Human Rights Fee case was terminated in Could when the events couldn’t conform to phrases.
The Federal Courtroom are anticipated to listen to the case in mid-2025.
