Nova Peris has resigned from her position on the Long Walk Foundation board because of Essendon CEO Xavier Campbell.
According to a leaked email obtained by The Herald Sun, Peris accused Campbell of showing “utter disrespect” after the Bombers reportedly pushed back on plans to pay $2000 for the transportation of a statue of the former Australian Olympian from Federation Square to The Hanger.
The Bombers are working closely with the foundation to open an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sports Hall of Fame at the club’s Tullamarine headquarters.
Campbell recently signed a two-year extension to stay on as Essendon chief.
Peris said in the leaked email: “My decision is due to the Essendon Football Club CEO Xavier (Campbell) and the disrespectful treatment I have endured by him.
“The utter disrespect I have been shown with this project is nothing short of disgraceful and I find Xavier’s leadership extremely poor which is a sad reflection on the Essendon Football Club as an organisation which is why I have had to remove myself from the board due to the association with EFC.
“No wonder our Aboriginal kids continually struggle, when people like myself get so disrespected and used up by the systems.
“It is my hope that in time, the AISHoF (Aboriginal and Islander Sports Hall of Fame) will have a new home somewhere independent of the EFC because they are acting like they own our history and they most certainly do not.”
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Essendon great Michael Long, the founder of the Long Walk charity, says he has reached out to Peris and hopes to speak to her after Sir Doug Nicholls Round.
“I was probably a bit blindsided by it, Long told SEN Mornings.
“I’ve known Nova as a family growing up. We’ve worked very closely with the Essendon Football Club for 18 years with Dreamtime. Without their support, we can’t do this event or have what we do with Dreamtime and our program.
“I tried to reach out to Nova yesterday (Thursday) … she’s had an enormous part to play here with the Indigenous Hall of Fame.
“We love Nova. We still want her to be a part of the board. That’s a discussion I’m going to hopefully have with Nova next week once this round is finished.”
The dual Essendon premiership player will lead the Long Walk from Federation Square to the MCG before Saturday night's Dreamtime clash.