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The AFL Players’ Association has strongly rejected suggestions by former federal treasurer Peter Costello that players are only involved in charity work to promote their club brand and image.
Costello said on Wednesday parents would be “quake with fear” if they heard league players would be visiting their daughter’s school.
Western Bulldogs president David Smorgon also weighed into the issue, calling Costello “way out of line”.
A former No.1 ticket holder at Essendon, Costello wrote in his Fairfax newspapers column that “footballers are not chosen for their moral principles”.
“What are the clubs thinking when they send them to schools to give guidance on life skills?” said Costello.
“Motivating the students is the last thing the club or the league is thinking about.
“They are working on the brand.”
AFLPA chief executive Matt Finnis denied that clubs sent players out to schools, hospitals and rural communities simply for promotional purposes.
“They’re going there because there are young people all over Australia who are wanting to play AFL football and they want to meet their heroes,” Finnis said.
“To question the motives of players engaged in that kind of activity is really disappointing.”
Smorgon said Costello appeared to be ignorant of the importance of the work of AFL players in the community.
“Peter was the No.1 man at Essendon for a number of years and he obviously hasn’t been made aware of the enormous influence and impact that league footballers have when they’ve visited the schools,” Smorgon told SEN.
Costello’s comments came in the wake of the scandal at St Kilda where a schoolgirl claimed she had sex with two Saints players.
She later posted nude photographs of other St Kilda players on websites.
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