Collingwood

[Lightning McQueen]

Freo, managed well, could set up a dynasty with that draft order.

hey, leave your Freo shit to it's own thread.............................................if it has one.

[Booney]

Freo, managed well, could set up a dynasty with that draft order.

hey, leave your Freo shit to it's own thread.............................................if it has one.

[tigerpie]

Freo, managed well, could set up a dynasty with that draft order.

Agreed, 4 inside 24 in a draft said to have a really good top 20.

Collingwood get Lachie Schultz. Fremantle receive Pick 34 and the Magpies’ future first-round pick.

Idiots.

He's been just ok.

He might be another mayney and take a season to get acclimated.

But at the moment a future first rounder was way overs.

[Booney]

Collingwood is facing a fresh racism scandal, with chief executive Craig Kelly accused of joking about putting a “live f***ing possum” in a special room for Indigenous players and calling an Aboriginal elder a “dumb old bitch”.

In explosive court documents, Kelly is accused of a series of racial slurs and physical assaults by the club’s former head of First Nations strategy Mark Cleaver, a “Palawa person” who was engaged by the Magpies in the wake of the 2021 “Do Better” crisis.

The documents were filed with the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia on Monday.

In addition to the accusations of Indigenous slurs, Mr Cleaver claimed that Kelly also joked about sending a photograph of a ‘Free Palestine’ sign to a Jewish colleague to wind her up.

According to the documents, on February 6, 2024, Mr Kelly and Mr Cleaver met with community, foundation and facilities executive general manager Kerrie Brewer in her office about Collingwood’s community strategy.

During the meeting the need for a “cultural room” was raised, it is alleged in the documents. “We need to get this cultural room launched, (Collingwood president) Jeff (Browne) has been on my arse about it,” Kelly is alleged to have said.

Mr Cleaver told him: “The next step is to go through all the cultural artefacts, with Leon Davis to decide what goes in the room.”

The documents then assert: “Mr Kelly picked up a marngrook (a ball made of possum hair used by Indigenous peoples in Victoria) that was on the desk and said ‘I don’t give a f*** what you put in there, put this shit in there’ and forcefully threw the marngrook at Mr Cleaver.

“The marngrook hit Mr Cleaver, which humiliated them and caused them pain because of the paresthesia caused by their multiple sclerosis.

“Mr Kelly continued talking and said ‘I don’t give a f*** if you put a live f***ing possum in there, just get Jeff and Jodie (Sizer) off my arse’.

Ms Brewer is alleged to have responded by saying: “Great one, Ned (Kelly), that’s not culturally safe.”

The documents state that Kelly then “laughed”, prompting Ms Brewer to comment “not appropriate”.

Kelly is alleged to have then said: “I know it’s inappropriate.”

They also detail how Collingwood met with Indigenous support group Dardi Munwurro on March 18, with the organisation claiming it had not been paid $500,000 promised from CGU sponsorship funds after the “Do Better” racism scandal.

After Kelly said he really cared “about our Indigenous people”, documents assert Indigenous elder Aunty Carol Thorpe said “you don’t say ‘our’, we don’t belong to you”.

As they drove from the meeting in Kelly’s car, the documents allege that the club chief asked: “Who was that old bird?”

After Mr Cleaver told him it was “Aunty Carol” – the wife of Dardi Munwurro chief Alan Thorpe – he claimed: “Kelly laughed and said ‘That dumb old bitch was really angry but I got her to come around’.”

“As they drove back to Collingwood’s office … a free Palestine sign was painted on a building. Mr Kelly said ‘quick take a photo of that, send it to Galit and watch her go off’,” the documents allege.

Kelly was referring to Galit Yaary, who is Collingwood’s executive general manager for people and culture and is Jewish.

It is further alleged in the documents: “About halfway back to the office, on or about High Street or Hoddle Street … an Asian lady was walking across the road nearing the middle of the road. Mr Kelly swerved the car so it passed close by her, yelled “statistic” and laughed.”

In another exchange in his car on March 18, Kelly is alleged to have said to Mr Cleaver: “Why do you need to use google maps? I assume your people can navigate with their eyes closed.”

Earlier during that trip, Mr Cleaver – who documents detail is gay – alleges Mr Kelly told him “we are taking my car; it’s a real man’s car”.

When Mr Cleaver joked that he thought Kelly “flew by helicopter”, he said the club chief called him a “dickhead” and “jabbed” him “forcefully in the shoulder” causing him “to fall backwards”.

The documents were filed as part of an application against Mr Cleaver’s dismissal, in which he’s seeking compensation for “hurt, humiliation and distress and economic loss”.

They also reveal Mr Cleaver made a statement to Victoria Police over Mr Kelly’s “physical assaults” on April 20.

On April 24, Mr Cleaver was told to work from home then was informed two days later during a three-hour meeting with the club that his complaints were not proven.

The live possum comment was “not substantiated”, it was found Mr Kelly “tossed” the marngrook to Mr Cleaver, and his comments about Mr Cleaver’s disability was “acknowledged but not deemed ableist or racist”.

The Herald Sun is not suggesting any of the claims are true, only that they have been made in documents before the court.

Mr Cleaver was suspended on full pay on May 1 after receiving a letter from Mr Browne “setting out allegations against Cleaver”.

On May 6 his employment was terminated, hours after Maurice Blackburn wrote to the club it had been hired to represent Mr Cleaver, who also claims to have made a complaint to the AFL integrity unit on March 25.

The case is listed for a court hearing on August 27.

Mr Cleaver was employed by the club in November 2023 as part of a series of commitments after the “Do Better” scandal and resignation of long-time president Eddie McGuire.

“Do Better” was a secret report which found there was “systemic racism within the Collingwood Football Club that must be addressed if things are to change”.

The damning 35-page independent report, which was kept under wraps by McGuire’s board, said the club’s response to repeated incidents of racism “has been at best ineffective, or at worst exacerbated the impact”.

[am Bays]

Maybe Ned can be the CEO of the Yuendumu magpies...

[tigerpie]

FFS if even the slightest amount of truth in these allegations and we are looking for a new CEO.

Neds a pretty clever operator and been in the business a long time.
Hard to believe a PAC boy would do and say such things.

Hard to see him doing/saying some of the things alleged. And some just not relevant.
Calling a pedestrian a statistic isnt bad is it?
Sounds a little like a very disgruntled ex employee.

[Jimmy_041]

FFS if even the slightest amount of truth in these allegations and we are looking for a new CEO.

Neds a pretty clever operator and been in the business a long time.
Hard to believe a PAC boy would do and say such things.

Hard to see him doing/saying some of the things alleged. And some just not relevant.
Calling a pedestrian a statistic isnt bad is it?
Sounds a little like a very disgruntled ex employee.

Summed up well including the well placed
He's old school and none of that surprises me

[wenchbarwer]

Summed up well including the well placed
He's old school and none of that surprises me

it's always the ones you most expect...

[Rik E Boy]

I thought Dinosaurs were extinct.

regards,

REB

[woodublieve12]

Pretty standard behaviour by someone in charge at Collingwood

[mots02]

The irony of these allegations coming out and linked to the work of a project called 'do better'.

[tigerpie]

They are allegations at the moment gentlemen* (using the term very loosely)

[Armchair expert]

Is there anyone he didn't miss?

[tigerpie]

:shock: Is there anyone he didn't miss?

Openly racist and homophobic slurs towards the people hired to stop it.

Am I missing something here?

[Jimmy_041]

:shock: Is there anyone he didn't miss?

Openly racist and homophobic slurs towards the people hired to stop it. (*)

Am I missing something here?

Yes *Alleged by someone who has been dismissed

I have seen plenty of unfair dismissal claims in my career - nothing there I haven't read before either
Maurice Blackburn would have a draft allegations on hand

[dedja]

You … you … mean … he … he’s not automatically guilty?

Really?

[tigerpie]

This was investigated in March internally and externally apparently and Vic police said no offense committed.
No workplace law broken.

[DOC]

This was investigated in March internally and externally apparently and Vic police said no offense committed.
No workplace law broken.

The Police investigated a workplace dismissal?

[tigerpie]

This was investigated in March internally and externally apparently and Vic police said no offense committed.
No workplace law broken.

The Police investigated a workplace dismissal?

Mr Cleaver went to Vic police (I'm assuming for the assault part) they listened to the complaint and decided not to go any further.

[Jimmy_041]

Usual lefty suspects piling in

“Sack him I tell you - he must be guilty”