The “innocent oversight” that had Lyon considering his St Kilda position

St Kilda CEO Carl Dilena says he was only recently made aware of an incident involving Ross Lyon and the club’s Indigenous and First Nations players.

It was an incident that had Lyon considering his position as senior coach of the Saints.

As first reported by Caroline Wilson on Channel 7's The Agenda Setters on Monday night, Lyon made a comment which upset the club’s First Nations players prior to their Round 4 bye.

Lyon had said at training: “I love the brother boy connection, but we all have to remember we are part of a bigger team here”.

Wilson made contact with Lyon before she aired the story, in turn receiving a statement from the Saints coach.

“I'm not here to justify or try to rationalise what I said,” Lyon stated.

“We are all only as good as our next moment and it was a moment I understand I misjudged. Was I being flippant? Could it be described as casual racism? I learned a lot out of what happened.

“It didn't land where it should have landed and I have to wear that and I take full responsibility for what I said. I was very emotional at the meeting and I offered to consider my position.”

Wilson reported that Lyon considered his position as coach in an emotional address and apology to St Kilda's First Nations players.

And Dilena was left out of the loop, only finding out about the situation before Caro went to air.

“Last night just before Caro was going to air with it,” Dilena said on SEN’s Whateley when asked when he knew.

“At least she’d done the courtesy and called Ross and given him a heads up and gave him a chance to give his version of events

“I had no line of sight on it before then.”

Saints chief Dilena labelled it an “innocent oversight” by Lyon which was handled by those impacted.

“The good thing in seeing how it panned out, and it was a pretty innocent oversight by Ross not meaning any harm,” he added.

“But it shows that he’s running a pretty safe environment with our First Nations boys where they were comfortable to raise it with him, discuss it and sort it out harmoniously. They sorted it out between themselves like any mishap.

“It was a positive outcome. Even though Ross says he was very emotional about it - because the last thing he wants to do is upset our First Nations players who he is very close with - it’s a matter in the workplace that got resolved and didn’t need to be elevated beyond that.”

Dilena insists his intervention would have only been needed if Lyon was unable to resolve the matter with the players who were affected.

“I think everyone is pretty comfortable with where it’s landed,” he said further. “The players obviously love Ross and came out in support of him.

“I don’t think they’re holding any concerns about the issue.”

Asked if Lyon’s comment constituted casual racism, Dilena replied: “You have to look at it through then lens of the person receiving the comment.

“There’d be people out there going, ‘Really, was that very serious?’, and Ross didn’t think anything of it at the time.

“Yet it is very challenging and as we’ve seen in various instances it’s how it’s received more so than how it’s delivered. That’s always the challenge with casual racism or unconscious bias.

“People don’t think of it but probably need to be more aware of it.”

Dilena says the club and its First Nations players are happy to “close the loop” on the incident, especially after the process followed in first making Lyon aware and then swiftly solving the issue, which was led by Bradley Hill.

So, what actually happened?

SEN’s Sam Edmund provided further context on SEN Breakfast this morning.

“After a training session leading into St Kilda's Round 4 bye, Ross Lyon was said to have been observing a training drill at Moorabbin that just happened to include only the First Nations players, or a group of them,” said Edmund.

“And Ross said, ‘I love the brother boy connection, but we all have to remember we are part of a bigger team here’.

“Now, it was that comment that upset those First Nations players. In fact, the very next day after that comment, Bradley Hill contacted Ross and said that we need to have a bit of a chat, we don't feel great about this.

“The First Nations players, that's Nasiah (Wanganeen-Milera), that's Liam Ryan, Liam Henry, Lance Collard, Isaac Keeler and Marcus Windhager (and Hill), met with Ross at the club on the Monday of the bye week. From Ross' perspective, he was incredibly remorseful and as Caroline said last night, he was actually quite emotional.

“So that is the story as it was relayed last night. I think if the coach is offering to consider resigning then, I'm sorry, but that's a pretty significant story.

“The coach himself was emotional to the point where he offered to consider his future and potentially his resignation.

“The St Kilda players are upset that this is out in the public domain, Bradley Hill I’m told is actually quite upset that this is in the public domain as they wanted to keep this between their cohort and their coach.

“Brad did post last night to Instagram a story image of him, Naz, and Ross, which said, ‘Sorry Caro, but we love Ross', and he tagged in all the First Nations players at St Kilda.

“Everyone there, I'm told now, is very comfortable with how this was dealt with. In fact, so in-house was this that the CEO, Carl Dilena, didn't know anything about it until late yesterday afternoon. This was exclusively between Ross and the First Nations players.”

Edmund said that the First Nations players impacted never wanted Lyon to consider his position as senior coach of the club.

“In that meeting on the Monday, Ross did say to those players, 'I'm willing to address the wider St Kilda playing group', and the First Nations players said, ‘No, that's definitely not necessary but we just wanted to talk to you’," he said.

“When he offered to consider stepping down the players said, ‘Don’t be ridiculous, we just needed to give you that information’.

“The Saints said last night this was a flippant comment which Ross had owned, perhaps maybe some speculating him getting too comfortable or spending too much time with them, adopting some of their vernacular that he shouldn't have perhaps.

“He did tell them in that meeting that if this relationship between me and you, the First Nations players, can't be rebuilt then tell me and I'll reconsider things.

“But he was told in no uncertain terms, ‘No, don't be stupid, that's ridiculous and we don't need to go any further with it but we just needed to have this on the record with you as our coach’.”