AFL community engagement manager Jason Mifsud says the competition’s racism controversy can be used to help indigenous players.
But Mifsud said he does not know whether he can remain friends with ex-Adelaide recruiting manager Matt Rendell, who resigned last week after a racist comment he made in a conversation with Mifsud became public.
Rendell told Mifsud in a meeting earlier this year that the AFL was heading towards a situation in which he wouldn’t recruit an indigenous player unless he had at least one white parent.
Mifsud, speaking publicly for the first time since Rendell’s forced resignation, said Rendell’s offensive comments were just one aspect of a concerning attitude that had been bubbling away in the AFL.
“The reality is there have been some murmurings within the industry because of the attrition rate of indigenous players over the past year or two,” Mifsud told the ABC’s Marngrook Footy Show, an indigenous-themed program.
“The situation and the murmurings around moving away from drafting indigenous players because of the complexities, because of the cultural dynamics, because of some of the challenges that we’ve had in the past number of years … they’re the things that we need to get back to addressing.
“There isn’t a panacea, there’s no magic bullet.”
But Mifsud said the attention drawn by Rendell’s comment could prove a breakthrough in increasing cultural awareness in the AFL.
He compared it to past incidents in which indigenous players Nicky Winmar and Michael Long were racially abused, leading to the creation of the AFL’s racial vilification policy.
“Now that it’s on the agenda and we’ve got a wave of momentum, despite it being uneasy for all of us, we need to capitalise upon it, we need to be very solution-oriented,” Mifsud said.
“One of the things that have missed in the most recent time is cultural education for the industry.
“That’s one of the things that have come out of this that we want to aggressively tackle now.”
Mifsud confirmed his conversation with Rendell made him uncomfortable for “a host of reasons”, not just one comment.
He said he felt for Rendell, but could not shy away from his responsibility to stand up for indigenous rights.
“I never have and never will,” Mifsud said.
He could not say whether he and Rendell, who had been friends, could remain so.
“I don’t have an answer,” Mifsud said.
“It’s better than saying we’re not friends.
“Matty needs to consider where he’s at and where he’s going.
“He’s got a lot to work through in that situation, as I do.
“This is a significant moment for me, both personally and professionally.”
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