North Melbourne great David King has savaged the treatment of Kangaroos coach Alastair Clarkson amid the ongoing racism investigation, after he announced he is stepping away from the job, citing physical and wellbeing issues.
The Roos say historical racism allegations at Hawthorn involving Clarkson are a key factor in the coach stepping away indefinitely.
Brett Ratten will coach the Kangaroos in an interim capacity.
Speaking on SEN, King said the investigation has ‘destroyed the fabric of this guy’, slamming the process for failing to allow Clarkson a chance to clear his name.
“He’s a great person, an absolute icon of our game, an ambassador for our football club in every in every way, shape or form,” King said of Clarkson.
“I feel devastated for him and his family that it’s come to this point, which would have been an incredibly difficult decision to make – to actually put yourself on the front page of every paper and the front of every news bulletin today to have to step down from a football club that he loves, a job that he knows the incredibly difficult starting point at a club at the lowest ebb.
“He just wanted to correct this football club: that was his passion. Since the grand final of last year, he hasn’t been given a fair swing at life. These allegations are horrifying and he hasn‘t been allowed due process in any point from that moment onwards.
“The toll on him emotionally, physically – whether he can sleep at night, whether he can hold a normal conversation without this running through his head, the sheer fatigue that he’d be carrying day to day, and then to try and run a football club and manage 100-odd people day to day, and still be that same person that he was during his Hall of Fame years at Hawthorn would have been nigh-on impossible.
“The pressure cooker environment has obviously got to a point where it’s blown up, and I’m devastated for Alastair and the North Melbourne Football Club today.”
According to King, the investigation, which has repeatedly stalled due to impasses between Clarkson and Brisbane coach Chris Fagan, the AFL-appointed panel, and the Hawthorn former First Nations players and families who first made the allegations, has been ‘a fair balls-up’.
“This is supposed to be a fair process – it’s been a fair balls-up I’d say,” King said.
“To put this man in this situation … I don’t know if we will ever get to the truth, given this process that we’ve gone down.
“I don’t know if Alastair will ever feel that he’s had an opportunity to clear a reputation that’s been built over four decades. They’ve just slowly destroyed the fabric of this guy.”
Alastair Clarkson. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
The Kangaroo have confirmed they will support Clarkson in a statement released on Thursday attributed to president Sonja Hood.
“The club is providing its full support to Alastair and we commend him for making this important decision to put his health first,” Hood said.
“Everyone involved has been deeply affected by the Hawthorn investigation and the burden on Alastair has been significant.
“We will give Alastair whatever time he needs to restore his health and look forward to welcoming him back when he is fully fit.
“We have strong leaders at our club who will step up and support and coach our team while Alastair spends time focusing on his health.
“We are fortunate to have someone of Brett Ratten’s experience and capability to coach the team in the interim.”
Current Hawks coach Sam Mitchell, whose relationship with Clarkson has reportedly deteriorated in recent years but who played in four premierships under him, called for everyone to respect Clarkson’s privacy.
“They asked for privacy and I think me adding to that narrative is not going to help anyone,” Mitchell said.
“It is a serious thing, stepping away from such a big job is obviously a big decision.
“It’s my job to respect what they’ve asked for and they asked for privacy so hopefully we’ll all do that … I will leave it there.”
Speaking to media on Thursday afternoon, Kangaroos football boss Todd Viney said it was “a possibility” that Clarkson could be lost to the game, but believed his long-time friend and colleague would be back.
“There was no indication in any of the conversations [on Wednesday] that that was the end of Alastair Clarkson,” Viney said at Arden St on Thursday.
“We feel really confident that he just needs some time to heal and he’ll be back to take control of the club again and help us get back to contending for silverware.
“There’s been no time frame to talk about when he’s coming back,.
“It’s our firm belief that he will be back this year, but if you ask him, and if you ask us, we can’t tell you if that’s one week or six weeks, so we’ll take that as it comes.
“The number one priority will be for him to get fit and healthy again.”
(with AAP)
Nick
Roar Rookie
Deflection. Hawthorn could absolutely have pushed this forward too.
Birdman
Roar Rookie
It's the AFL process that's stalled, Nick. If anything Hawthorn has been the only party that have acted expediently by handing it to the AFL as they were required to do under AFL protocols.
bagley
Roar Rookie
Once Lawyers are involved things grind to a halt, they have to tabulate their expenses as they go and write lots of letters, each one costs $500.
bagley
Roar Rookie
gynocentric! love that word
AR
Roar Rookie
"...Clarkson is the one being accused of dragging the poor woman by her hair to the clinic begging for mercy." And this is where the rational conversation is lost - where people play 'word-gotcha' with cynical hyperbole. The inference of "forced" doesn't mean dragging by the hair - as you well know - it could mean coerced, convinced, persuaded etc. And that is the thrust of one of the more serious allegations.
Knackaz
Roar Rookie
Yep. Anyone can accuse anyone of anything at anytime, especially females, who tend to be believed no matter the facts, and the men are always in the wrong and guilty until proven innocent (but regardless, the stink still sticks) in this train wreck of a gynocentric soyciety we now live in ...
Realist
Roar Rookie
Thats a reasonable assessment, Luke. Clarko has form, and in public, he doesn't come across as being a very nice person at all, so it does make you wonder what he's like and says behind closed doors.
Luke - Hawk tragic
Roar Rookie
I think its probable that something happened, but that it was misinterpreted by the ex-player and that he believes clarko wanted him to abort his kid, when in fact, perhaps he suggested that if things weren't going well with the girl, that it may not be best to start a family together...Clarkson was known for removing players phones...not just indigenous ones and he did give Mitchell a hard time when he had twins, as he felt he wasn't focused b/c of the kids...leading to Mitchell almost leaving the club in 2011. I think he's innocent of racism, but guilty of an abuse of power in a paternal controlling way...probably with good intentions, but clumsy and inappropriate. Just my 2 cents.
Luke - Hawk tragic
Roar Rookie
The AFL is dragging it fett. IT is no longer in hawthorns hands and hasnt been for 8 months
nostats
Roar Rookie
think you just answerd your own question sports lover. to me it looks as though the afl are looking for an nil all draw,, wanting both sides too say that a resoloution cant be reached, which to the afl would be the preferred resoloutin perhaps?
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
What have we seen publicly that would suggest Clarko & F@gan are more probable than not of being guiltily of such allegations?
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
Okay, so at no stage has he been accused of forcing anyone to do anything. Just wanted to clear that up, because you make it sound like he is accused of dragging a player’s partner to a shady abortion clinic and forcing them to kill their unborn child. Ohh, wait….”Clarko told me to kill his kid”. Yep, I agree with you. That is one of the accusations. I have no idea how you managed to turn that into forcing a player’s partner into having an abortion. I’m not entirely sure we know if the woman in question even had an abortion, but somehow…you do, and Clarkson is the one being accused of dragging the poor woman by her hair to the clinic begging for mercy.
Alchemist
Roar Rookie
Or... wait for it... a right of reply even?
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
The same people jumped on the Buddy booing issue deciding it was race related.
Realist
Roar Rookie
Your assumptions and ignorance of the process.
AR
Roar Rookie
Reading your comment, I agree that I clearly know more about this than you do. One claim - even as reported in the paper at the time (which is not the basis of my comment) - was that “Clarko told me to kill my kid” etc. It’s an appalling allegation to go unanswered. There are other allegations relating to interference in players relationships. None of it has been proven or even put to Clarkson or Fagan. This should have been handled much quicker, and mediated, to put some $ into the complainants pockets. That may sound crude to the hand-wringers, but that’s the only possible end to this awful mess.
Realist
Roar Rookie
Its not the complainant's fault that there has not yet been a resolution and it no way diminishes their position. It's quite possible that Clarkson and Fagan are guilty of the accusations. Some would argue that from what have already seen publicly of Clarko makes it more probable than not that the allegations are true.
Curmudgeon1961
Roar Rookie
Norf again. Going absolute gangbusters aren't they? A once proud club but it's everybody else's fault these days isn't it?
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
That’s not the allegation at all. He didn’t force anything, nor has that ever been suggested. Talk about hyperbole. Unlike you, I have no idea whether he’s innocent or not. I’m certainly not going to disrespect the indigenous players by assuming it’s absurd either, or pretend to be sincere about it. Embarrassing stuff.
Dusty does Danger
Roar Rookie
I hear the point you are making Donald. You’re probably not too far from the truth. It’s scary that someone can make an allegation which at this point has not been proven. In the meantime the persons involved are being treated as if they are guilty because they are yet to prove their innocence.