SEN chief sports reporter Sam Edmund doesn’t see the league’s announcement on the Hawthorn investigation as a resolution.
AFL boss Gillon McLachlan told reporters late on Tuesday that dissolving the independent panel while making no findings against Alastair Clarkson, Chris Fagan and Jason Burt was an “imperfect resolution”, but the best option in front of the league.
But while the issue is now not the AFL’s in a legal frame, Hawthorn can still be charged by the league and the complainants and the accused can still take the case further.
BREAKING | The AFL has confirmed in a statement the details behind dissolving the independant panel investigating claims of racism at Hawthorn.
— SEN 1116 (@1116sen) May 30, 2023
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Edmund can now see the scenario unfolding in multiple different ways.
“It’s not a resolution for mine,” he told SEN.
“Gil McLachlan might call it imperfect, but it’s a resolution for the AFL only isn’t it?
“Hawthorn wide open now, the Human Rights Commission wide open for now. Less a resolution, and more an update if you will.
“I think we could spin off in all sorts of directions here as has been flagged, both in the statement and from Gillon McLachlan tonight.”
Edmund was also surprised that the league had not offered an apology in the statement or press conference before suggesting the ordeal was “far from over”.
“I thought the more interesting side of it was a resolution has been reached from the AFL side of things, but no apology from the league on this case specifically, only multiple acknowledgments,” he continued.
“It’s a statement tonight that puts Hawthorn squarely in the gun, but no apologies from the league.”
He added: “The fact the AFL have been able to absolve themselves from this is quite an extraordinary piece of negotiating.”
McLachlan said there was no financial aspect to the agreement between the league and the complainants.
The allegations were first aired by the ABC eight months ago in September of 2022.
Clarkson, Fagan and Burt – all key people at Hawthorn at the time of the allegations – have maintained their innocence.