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Amid growing media criticism of how the AFL hierarchy has handled the Adam Goodes controversy, chairman Mike Fitzpatrick has called him an all-time great.
Fitzpatrick added he hopes to watch the Sydney star play on Saturday night against Geelong at Simonds Stadium.
The AFL Chairman’s statement on Monday followed a media report that said the commission was divided into three camps on the Goodes issue.
The report claimed one group feels that racism is a big part of crowds incessantly booing the indigenous star.
The second group is said to feel that racism is not a major factor in the abuse, while the third apparently is critical of Goodes’s conduct on and off the field.
That would reflect sharply-divided opinions nationally on the Goodes issue.
“Let me make this very clear – Adam Goodes has the unanimous support of the AFL Commission,” Fitzpatrick said in Monday’s media statement.
“When I attend the game in Geelong this week, I hope to see this great champion of our game back on the field where he belongs.”
Swans coach John Longmire has said that Goodes will return to training on Tuesday and could play against the Cats.
A week after the Goodes racism controversy reignited, Fitzpatrick also called on fans to show respect for the two-time Brownlow Medallist.
“The booing of Adam Goodes may or may not have begun for other reasons, but the AFL Commission is of the view that this is about race and cannot be condoned at our games,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement.
“This is not what we stand for. The AFL, this most Australian of sports, stands for a fair go for all, men, women, black, white, Muslim, Asian.
“It is broad, inclusive and the most egalitarian of sports.
Fitzpatrick’s comments follow a similar statement late last week from AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan.
Fitzpatrick, himself a premiership ruckman at Carlton, said he once stood next to Goodes at the coin toss in the early 2000s before a Blues-Sydney match.
“I remember assessing how I would have gone against him – he was a wonderful athlete in his prime, tall, strong and agile, emanating controlled aggression and a hint of menace,” Fitzpatrick said.
“He was Peter Moore, he was Don Scott, he was Stephen Michael and a bit of Polly Farmer.
“I decided I would have enjoyed the contest, but not the result.”
Fitzpatrick also praised AFL fans for the widespread support shown for Goodes during round-18 matches.
“The football world rose to the occasion last weekend and the AFL is proud of the way our clubs and supporters showed their strong support for Adam Goodes,” he said.
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