“This is a historic and proud day for the Collingwood Football Club.”
So said Eddie McGuire mere hours after a report was published which stated there was systemic racism at the club.
Just to make sure no one misheard him, McGuire mentioned how proud he was another three or four times during what can only be described as a complete and utter catastrophe of a press conference.
It would have been a laughable display from the Collingwood president if the issue at hand wasn’t so serious: one of the biggest AFL clubs, one of the biggest sporting teams in Australia, found to be woefully inept in dealing with racism in their organisation.
If McGuire and his club thought they could put on an overly positive face and spin their way out of the aftermath of the report, they were wrong. And how.
In fact, the only real achievement of Monday’s hour-long press conference was to comprehensively reinforce the criticisms of the club which the report detailed.
One of the damning observations of the Do Better Report – which is worth reading in full – is that the club reacted less effectively to internal complaints of racism than they did to media reports on the topic, and that their responses were often interpreted as being defensive.
Collingwood is perceived as being defensive, doubling down and denying allegations instead of taking an active and proactive approach internally. This has also meant that Collingwood’s response has often been perceived as one where claims of racism are dealt with in terms of damage control and protecting the brand, rather than seeking to address issues and make change…
A further consequence of this defensive stance is that there is no room for reflection.
(Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
That perception will not have been changed one iota by McGuire’s trainwreck. For example, when it was pointed out that this systemic racism happened under his watch as club president, his response was defensive in the extreme.
“What’s happened on my watch is this: we’ve built a fantastic club; we have commissioned this report; we have built all sorts of mechanisms to get involved in the community, from looking after the homeless to many other aspects of life that stand absolutely head and shoulders above most organisations, of which we’re very proud.”
Oh, and according to McGuire there wasn’t any systemic racism going on, even though he had a report in front of him which stated there was “systemic racism within the Collingwood Football club”.
Another common theme in the report was the gap between what Collingwood does and what they say.
Today, Collingwood claims to be guided by four formal values…
However, there is a gap — a very big one — between what Collingwood Football Club says it stands for and what it does.
This, again, was in stark display on Monday, when the report was portrayed as an overwhelmingly positive development by McGuire and three other Magpies administrators – CEO Mark Anderson and integrity committee members Peter Murphy and Jodie Sizer – and how it was almost a case of proactivity.
“We wanted to seize the moment, look at world affairs over the last 12 months, and put ourselves ahead of it,” was how McGuire put it.
The truth is the report was not something the club commissioned wholly of their own impetus. In its own words, it was “sparked by the public criticisms and complaints made by ex-Collingwood player, Heritier Lumumba, about his experiences and treatment when playing for the club”.
Heritier Lumumba. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
It was also not proactively released by Collingwood, and McGuire and co. only spoke publicly about it on Monday because of the media reports published earlier in the day. The complete report had been delivered to the club last December.
The comparisons between report and press conference hardly ceased, only adding further weight to the former’s validity.
McGuire, of course, has already announced he’s stepping down as Collingwood president at the end of the coming season, a decision which was announced in December. After Monday, he should be gone by the end of the week.
The issue isn’t that McGuire gave a gaffe-laden, tone-deaf, delusional press conference which will be used as a gold-standard example of how not to do PR and damage control for years to come.
The issue is that performance, such as it was, indicates he is entirely ill-equipped to lead Collingwood as the club moves to adopt the recommendations of the report.
“We’re on the good side of this,” he said.
If your club is found to have systemic racism within it, you’re not “on the good side” just because you commissioned a report into it. That McGuire can’t understand that means he’d be better off leaving Collingwood now.
Jero
Roar Rookie
We're closing in on a world population of eight billion. Good luck!
Gerry
Roar Rookie
Even one example is disgraceful so stop making excuses and just accept there are racists elements in this country from players, fans, coaches, club presidents and media personalities alike. I doubt racism will be stamped out for good but it’s worth a dam good shot.
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
I think there are quite a few players who never got an apology. I also think there was a behind post that might have been feeling a bit sorry for itself!
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
He's still never apologized to the great Australian Football player for breaking his knee.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Nah. He created them with tax shifts and a targeted spin campain to convince tradies they were asperational small business people with abns and the LNP are the great economic managers if you believe their spin. Howard did not have his fingers on the pulse of the working class. He just knew how to manipulate them when he saw an opportunity.
Seymorebutts
Guest
Read the report... initial observations. Not a single example of systematic racism is documented. There are two allegations by Lumumba which are mentioned and a handful of incidents involving comments by fans.. dating from 1970 till today.. a period of FIFTY years. The well known Goodes and Winmar situations are mentioned. Lumumba incidentally has not provided details of the alleged incidents, he hasnt named names, the venue or the date of the allged racist slurs. One of the example of racism were from a TV commentator .. who called a player ''coloured''.. IF these people had to stretch back fifty years to find an example of racism that was committed by someone who wasn't acting in any capacity for the club, then that in itself is the proof the club is not racist. Not only did the report not show any systematic racism it is frankly an embarrassment, it is the kind of thing you expect a first year Gender Studies student to submit, not people who allegedly have PHD's. The club should consider legal action for defamation against Lumumba since he has refused to name the date, or person on which the alleged racist incidents occurred... and frankly, who ever commissioned this asinine report needs to have a good look at themselves as well.
Seymorebutts
Guest
'When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. There goes the shawl again!”
RT
Roar Rookie
That's a relief!
Paul D
Roar Rookie
Absolutely disagree. I'm no liberal voter but Kim Beazley specifically said years ago that Howard, more than other liberal MP was always keenly aware that there was a strong working class backdrop to the liberal party vote, and that he was always looking for issues and policies that would tease up support from that demographic
Davico
Roar Pro
Sorry, but little Johnny NEVER had his finger of the pulse of the working class.
Davico
Roar Pro
Its also interesting that when bringing this kind of thing up that there is NO response from The Roar either???
Davico
Roar Pro
Sad to hear Spruce. I know we have not always seen eye to eye on everything but I would hope that at least I have been civil and tried to make a case.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Mr Toad, I too digested the report and in a painful exercise watched the press conference. The club have made a start. Ed just went into brand protection instead of showing and expressing genuine contrition. It was a big lost opportunity that took focus away from the real issue people need to talk about IMO.
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
Sounds to me like there was a culture of bullying amongst the playing group, and it was aided by the coach. How come no-one is putting any pressure on Buckley, Pendlebury and the CEO (would've been Gary Pert at the time?).
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
The report provided 6 examples in a timeline. 4 of those examples were the crowd, 2 were from within the club. The timeline was over a period of 50 years; 2 examples in 50 years = systemic racism. No-one has bothered to call this out because they're to busy jumping on the holier-than-though train.
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
I think the whole thing was manufactured outrage by journalists looking for a headline rather than having to think about what the report really meant. When I looked at the footage, I felt it was clear that Maguire meant he was proud that Collingwood had commissioned the report rather than of its findings. I think Clarkson is a great coach and any club should be pleased to have him. That said, I am not unhappy with Buckley as a coach. While I have never analyzed it, I think the figures would show that in the long run coaches get better with time and that successful clubs in the post salary cap era have held onto coaches rather than turned them over.
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
No, I was there so I know what happened. (Winmar tore the Pies to shreds that day.) I have no doubt that Winmar was abused. What I was saying is that it did not happen in the location described in Do Better. The images clearly show what happened, but not where. My recollection was that it was either at the end of the old wooden stand or in front of the social club: they were next to each other. I was looking along the boundary line from One-eyed Hill where the TV cameras used to be. The cheer squad was always behind the goals or the unofficial squad was in the outer. I would still say that it was an long time ago and my recollection could be wrong, that is why I wanted to check if there was a better image showing more of the ground.
Knocka
Roar Rookie
Maybe the AFL should make Collingwood play in an all white kit, befitting their current culture, until they earn their (black) stripes back again through clear implementation of the report’s recommendations. That will teach them that the black stripes matter.
RT
Roar Rookie
Are you suggesting the Winmar incident may never have happened? Only a wide angle view will convince you?
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Nice to hear from you again. There’s no doubt the Pies aren’t the only ones with plenty of work to do in this space Mr Toad. I see McGuire retracted his “proud” terminology which he had to do. The house of straw has been blown down now so the club needs to start from Day one with a slow process of rebuilding brick by brick. What’s all this off the field controversy and pain mean for 2021? You would think a reset year ready for the arrival of Clarkson.