Adelaide Football Club Chairman John Olsen and CEO Tim Silvers have penned the following letter to Members and fans:
We aspire to have everyone – players, coaches and staff – reflect on their time at the Crows in a positive manner and we are saddened that this has not been the case for everyone.
It has been confronting to hear Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins describe their experiences during the 2018 pre-season training camp on the Gold Coast, as well as the subsequent hurt they have carried.
We apologize to Eddie, Josh and any other player, coach or staff member, who had a negative experience during this time.
Equally we are sorry to hear Bryce Gibbs express his disappointment at the way in which the camp and events surrounding it were handled and its impact on the playing group, and we acknowledge there are others who may feel the same way.
The most important thing we can do now is listen and offer our support.
We know that moving on as a Club will be difficult. Everyone will do it in their own time and in their own way, and we sincerely hope that with the passage of time the healing process can take place.
There has been a significant amount of change at our Club over the past couple of years. Most notably, the key leadership positions of Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Men’s Senior Coach and Men’s Head of Football have all changed hands.
In recent times there has also been a cultural shift and the focus is firmly on prioritizing others. This is a genuine intent that stretches beyond the football department and permeates throughout our organisation. It’s a whole club approach.
We are committed to emerging from this painful and challenging period and getting better. While we cannot rewrite history, we remain determined to learn from the past.