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.”
Andreal
Guest
Bayman, I could not have said it better.
Bayman
Guest
Oh dear, poor old Jason is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. First he berates Matt Rendell whom he oddly calls "a friend" and then he talks of "cultural education" for the football industry. Is it just me, or is identifying a difference in culture a recognition of something different between indigenous people/players and the rest. Dare I say that even such a recognition of that different culture is, technically, racist. There seems, however, a difference between Rendell's apparent application of racism and that espoused by Jason Mifsud. So different, in fact, that a "friend" cannot even bring himself to seek clarification on what Rendell actually said, and meant, whereas the Mifsud version of racism is a positive force for nature and the AFL. I'm not sure what Mifsud's definition of a "friend" is but I know one thing - the relationship that Mifsud obviously had with Rendell is NOT it. Matt Rendell can rest easy on that score. He cannot lose what he never had. Personally, I would love to know - given Mifsud sees a need to stand up for them - whether "indigenous" rights are the exact same thing as "caucasion" rights. If so, fair enough. If not, then surely Mifsud is exercising a form of racism by even suggesting they might be different in any way. I say all this purely to highlight the danger of labelling someone as racist just because he may express an opinion in terms that others may not use. Rendell's "one white parent" comment is a classic case in point. At no stage did Rendell say that he, the Adelaide Football Club or any AFL football club has exercised and acted upon that view. Clearly, the evidence is overwhelming that the AFL clubs have not had a policy like that or anything like it. What he was saying, in his own way, is that the attrition rate of aboriginal footballers in the AFL is too high. The investment clubs make, and the opportunities they provide, are often being wasted as players drift away from the system. Many of these players appear to leave suddenly which highlights the issue. Certainly, there are white players who fall short on attitude, application and talent too - and they soon disappear from the AFL. The issue with the indigenous boys is that established players like Krakouer and Jurrah suddenly are dragged away by "family" issues, often with minimal warning. It is a fact that young indigenous players often have problems being away from home coupled with a serious step up in the expectations of their AFL football club. Rendell was trying to highlight this problem by suggesting a possible solution. A solution, incidentally, that Jason Mifsud has apparently failed to provide. So, instead of fixing the problem the AFL has decided to shoot the messenger. A friend may have said, had he been genuinely shocked by Rendell's terminology, that perhaps he might modify his words to give a more acceptable, politically correct, phrasing. Instead we have a man who apparently has tossed in his bed worrying about what was said for some two months and only now has decided that Rendell's wording is inflammatory. It is a sad day indeed when a man, any man, is denied his living and his profession because other timid souls are more concerned with image than substance. This is the road political correctness takes us all down. Being right is no excuse - far better to do and say nothing than to try and help, especially in this current moral wasteland. The trouble with being politically correct is that it's a minefield with the boundaries constantly shifting. What's fine today is anathema tomorrow. It's been two months since Rendell's apparent gaff. Two months for Mifsud to respond to his moral obligation. Presumably, if he had done nothing and the story leaked out next year then both Rendell and Mifsud would have to resign. So where's the cutoff? Is it two months, three, six....when? That's the trouble with these types of incidents. It can all get a bit murky in the rush to save your own arse. That high moral ground must be some hill - it took Jason Mifsud two months to climb it. As for the indigenous players, they can't have it both ways. Either there genuinely is a cultural difference or Liam Jurrah is just another machete wielding brain dead thug who should be sacked by his club. Or is that cultural difference just something that we are all expected to know about - but not talk about. No wonder political correctness pisses me off and no wonder Matt Rendell walked into a minefield.