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Taylor Walker speaks on Adelaide Crows pre-season camp, former captain, fractures in playing group, Eddie Betts, Josh Jenkins, Bryce Gibbs

Taylor Walker speaks on Adelaide Crows pre-season camp, former captain, fractures in playing group, Eddie Betts, Josh Jenkins, Bryce Gibbs

Adelaide veteran Taylor Walker says it’s “upsetting” to hear the distress past players feel towards the infamous 2018 pre-season camp, but insists he did everything he could as captain at the time to address “fractures” within the group.

The Crows in a lengthy open letter to the club’s fans on Monday night apologized to Eddie Betts, Josh Jenkins and others who had a “negative experience” at the controversial camp following last week’s shock new revelations — revelations that prompted the AFLPA to indicate it’ I’ll reopen its investigation into the event.

Reflecting on the fallout at West Lakes in 2018, Walker acknowledged it was a turbulent period at the club despite his best efforts.

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“I can put my head on the pillow at night, and put my hand on my heart and say that I did everything I could,” he told Triple M.

“I knew something was not right post the camp, I knew blokes weren’t feeling that great about it, there were fractures within the group like some of the boys have said… and I was having one-on-one meetings, I was having some confidential meetings at my house to try and work out exactly the path to take, and I can honestly say that I did everything I could to try and fix it.”

Walker leads the Crows out the race alongside Betts (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Media/Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS

Betts and Jenkins were among the former Crows to last week detail their distressing first-hand experiences at the Gold Coast Coast-based camp in 2018 that led to several players, including Betts, and officials to depart the club in the following years.

Walker maintains that he still took a “positive experience” away from it, but admitted it was tough hearing his ex-teammate’s disturbing accounts.

“Yeah I sit here as captain at the time of the footy club, and those boys being past players… not great to be honest. It’s quite upsetting to hear that those guys are still feeling the effects of the camp,” Walker said.

“What I will say is that, the camp, a lot of people took different things out of it and I personally, I’ve said it, I took a positive experience out of it… but that does not take away from the feelings of hurt that those boys are going through at the moment.”

Adelaide overcame the intense spotlight on the club last week to defeat the West Coast Eagles by 16 points at Optus Stadium.

And Walker suggested the scrutiny hadn’t affected the vibe at the Crows, estimating “10-2o per cent” of people who attended the camp remained at the club.

“Our mantra is prioritizing others and we’re certainly doing that to the best of our ability,” he said.

“As a footy club we still have to work through this, because sitting here you don’t like hearing that past players are feeling that way,” he said.

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Adelaide Crows pre-season camp, Caroline Wilson, San McClure, media coverage, Eddie Betts, Josh Jenkins, AFLPA

Adelaide Crows pre-season camp, Caroline Wilson, San McClure, media coverage, Eddie Betts, Josh Jenkins, AFLPA

Veteran journalist Caroline Wilson has taken aim at the Adelaide media for its response to coverage of the Crows’ infamous 2018 camp amid more calls for club figures responsible at the time to take ownership.

The Crows on Monday night released a lengthy open letter to the club’s fans, apologizing to Eddie Betts, Josh Jenkins and any players who had a “negative experience” at the pre-season camp after shock new revelations emerged last week.

It comes after Adelaide journalist David Penberthy earlier this year slammed Nine’s Sam McClure and Wilson, who’ve both extensively reported on the camp, saying the latter’s coverage was a “miserable way to spend your post-journalistic career.”

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And speaking on Channel 9’s Footy Classified on Monday night, Wilson said she remained “baffled at the collective chip on the shoulder of certain sections of the Adelaide media where that camp was concerned”.

“I don’t know the above mentioned commentator (Penberthy), but I gather he’s flipped around a bit on the camp story since then,” Wilson said.

The Crows camp that ‘ended careers’ | 02:10

“Graham Cornes in his Advertiser column recently tried to portray another side of the story, and talked about more brutal camps of days gone by, and asked where then was the Victoria media piled on. Seriously Graham?

“You boys, all of you, need to grow up, this is so childish. That story would’ve been a massive yarn wherever it’d taken place, and equally condemned. In fact it would’ve been a much bigger story if it had taken place at Collingwood or Richmond. Talk about shooting the messenger.”

The directors of Collective Mind, who organized the camp, Amon Woulfe and Derek Leddie told the Advertiser in February the Crows’ then chief executive Andrew Fagan and the club’s board had “full awareness” of the program.

The story also states the program was approved by senior club figures including coach Don Pyke, head of football Brett Burton, and doctor Marc Cesana who cleared every player as mentally and emotionally fit to attend, and was even pilot tested by one of the coaches.

And while current Crows bosses and the AFL have both apologized following last week’s revelations, McClure, who in 2020 broke the story of the camp’s details, still wasn’t satisfied those who oversaw the controversial pre-season event have taken ownership.

Jenkins full statement on infamous camp | 15:39

“We’ve talked a lot about the potential cover-up and to what extent it went. I know there’s been apologies and elements of contrition, but I stand here today still wondering who is going to take responsibility for some of the things that went on at that camp,” he said.

“They either knew about it and they deliberately lied, or they didn’t know. I’m not sure which one’s worse.”

Fox Footy AFL 360 co-host Gerard Whateley called for all Crows figures in power at the time who’re still at the club to depart.

“I hold to the view that those who were in positions of authority at the time and oversaw this and who have actively participated in the cover-up over four and half years should depart their positions,” he said.

“(Crows director of footy Mark Ricciuto) would be one, but I doubt he’s the only one within that club that would still occupy one of those positions.“

Wilson also hit out at the AFL’s lack of accountability and why it took so long for it to act.

“For Gillon McLachlan to take four years — given the AFL’s known since 2020 what went on — to actually apologize in a stand up at an airport with Channel 7 in an exclusively arranged interview is frankly quite pathetic,” she said.

“Our game betrayed him” Robbo on Betts | 01:02

“Why the AFL did nothing then still baffles me. The cover-up has been astonishing.”

The AFLPA (Players Association) last week indicated it would effectively reopen its investigation into the camp and contact all players for a “better understanding” of what occurred, saying it would’ve taken more immediate action had it known all the information from the outset .

However McClure believes putting the onus on the players to divulge the information is “classic victim blaming” and that more action should’ve been taken at the time.

“The last people who are responsible for what went on at that camp are the players,” he said,

“It is absolute garbage to think that we could sit here and label any of those players as part of the problem. And yet when people come out and speak the truth and show great courage, we suddenly turn around the responsibility on them.

“If the AFLPA wanted to know what was going in that camp, they could’ve asked, because from where we sat, it wasn’t that hard to find out.”

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South Australia’s Crows chairman and chief executive apologize to Eddie Betts, Josh Jenkins amid training camp fallout

South Australia's Crows chairman and chief executive apologize to Eddie Betts, Josh Jenkins amid training camp fallout

Adelaide Crows’ chairman and chief executive have apologized to former players Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins over their experience at the controversial 2018 pre-season training camp.

Adelaide Football Club chairman John Olsen and chief executive Tim Silvers have penned an open letter to club members and fans after Betts’ released a book last week revealing how confidential information was used to verbally abuse him during the camp.

Former Crows Josh Jenkins and Bryce Gibbs also expressed their disappointment at the camp and how players were sworn to secrecy about what had occurred.

“We apologize to Eddie, Josh and any other player, coach or staff member, who had a negative experience during this time,” Olsen and Silvers wrote.

“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.

“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.”

A man wearing a suit speaks to microphones in front of a blue and red banner
Adelaide Crows chief executive Tim Silvers apologized to Eddie Betts last week.(ABC News: Camron Slessor)

Olsen and Silvers said “moving on” as a club would 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,” they wrote.

“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.”

The pair stressed that the club culture had shifted in the past few years, with changes to several leadership positions.

Don Pyke sitting next to Rob Chapman with microphones in front of them
Coach Don Pyke (left) and Crows chairman Rob Chapman (right) have since left the club.(abcnews)

Then-coach Don Pyke, head of football Brett Burton, chairman Rob Chapman and chief executive Andrew Fagan have since left their roles.

The camp was held after Adelaide’s defeat to Richmond in the 2017 Grand Final.

Silvers and AFL boss Gillon McLachlan have apologized to Betts for the hurt caused by the camp amid a potential class action.

Betts’ biography further detailed misappropriate use of Aboriginal rituals while Jenkins claimed details about his upbringing were used against him during the camp, despite him explicitly requested it not be shared.

The AFL and SafeWork SA completed separated investigations and found no breaches to work safety laws.

However, the AFL Players’ Association is contacting all players from the 2018 camp to gain better understanding of the issues that were raised.

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Adelaide Crows camp, Eddie Betts book, Bryce Gibbs, Josh Jenkins, reactions, response, commentary, AFLPA

Adelaide Crows camp, Eddie Betts book, Bryce Gibbs, Josh Jenkins, reactions, response, commentary, AFLPA

Fox Footy pundits have called for those at the Adelaide Football Club responsible for the infamous 2018 pre-season camp to take accountability for the wrongdoings, saying the “cover-up is the issue” and the misuse of players’ personal information is “harrowing. ”

Shocking new details of the pre-season camp emerged this week in Eddie Betts’ recently released biography, while fellow former Crows Josh Jenkins and Bryce Gibbs also spoke out on their distressing experiences.

While Crows CEO Tim Silvers, who wasn’t at Adelaide in 2018, apologized to Betts, five-time All-Australian Nick Riewoldt believes current club bosses shouldn’t necessarily wear the brunt of the criticism given many weren’t at West Lakes at the time.

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Jenkins full statement on infamous camp | 15:39

“I don’t know if it’s necessarily about punishing the Adelaide Crows. Because a lot of the people who were at the Adelaide Crows at the time have moved on. So is it fair to punish the Crows?” I have posed.

“I think the responsible people need to put their hand up and actually show some accountability. There were people saying in the aftermath, ‘we laugh at the some of the things we hear about the noise around the camp.’ Well it clearly wasn’t a laughing matter, it was a really, really serious matter.

“Those that were responsible for the investigation and actions need to be held accountable.

“I think actually putting your hand up and being on record and explaining why and how. And why the cover up? Why has it taken four years for this to happen and reach the point that it is.”

Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley agreed that concealing the details of what happened is most damning and concerned players were pressured into staying silent.

“The cover-up is the issue, because I’ve got no doubt the leadership of the Adelaide Football Club didn’t think they were going to undermine the fabric of the organisation,” he said.

“When you hear the anecdotes of the players and the way that information was used, it’s harrowing.

“It seemed to me the way the exit was planned, saying, ‘this is how you should talk about this,’ that there was an element of keeping that in the same little (group).

“Collective Minds, who were the outside facilitators, they’ve been quite litigious with this. They’ve slapped, rigged and tried to quiet this down. I’ve got no doubt it’s been very difficult for the Adelaide Football Club to be fully transparent in some ways, because of the litigious nature of the third party, and that makes it pretty tough for them.”

“Our game betrayed him” Robbo on Betts | 01:02

Triple-premiership winning Lion Jonathan Brown says it highlights the risks of bringing “outside facilitators” into a footy club.

“At the end of the day if that’s the player’s experience and that’s the way they perceived what happened, you have to take those things on face value,” the ex-Brisbane skipper said.

“It’s a great lesson, you need to get on the front foot and you need to apologize and own up to your mistakes, because people make mistakes all the time.

“I’m not sure about outside facilitators, you’ve got to be careful you bring outside facilitators into your football club. You’ve certainly got to check their CV and make sure what their reputation is and experience, because that was a bad decision for the club to bring them in.”

The AFLPA (Players Association) this week indicated it would effectively reopen its investigation into the pre-season event and contact all players for a “better understanding” of what occurred, saying it would’ve taken more immediate action had it known all the information from the outlet.

However Riewoldt questioned why the players union didn’t probe the incident more thoroughly four years ago.

“Why wasn’t it investigated properly? The people who represent the players — the Players Association — why didn’t they fight the fight properly for the players back then?” I have posed.

“Aren’t we resilient enough?” | 02:00

“They’re all questions that need answering… a lot of people have let them (the players) down. But if the Players Association don’t exist to fight for the players in situations like this to protect the players then what do they exist for?”

Former Adelaide coach and current Swans assistant Don Pyke also apologized for the 2018 pre-season camp amid growing scrutiny for his role in it.

Pyke departed the Crows at the end of 2019 and has been linked to several coaching vacancies amid praise for his impact at the Swans, admitting the idea of ​​being a senior boss again was enticing.

Asked if it hurts his future coaching aspirations, Brown said: “It does at the moment, whether it does in years down the track.”

Buckley agreed that “in some ways it does” affect Pyke’s chances in the short term, but pointed out that other coaches have previously pushed the boundaries with programs.

“You think back to legendary coaches of the past, I reckon if you got the worst things they’d done… there’s probably been some pretty average things players have been exposed to in the view of building resilience and being tougher and drawing the group together,” he said.

“Not all of them have gone right.”

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Geelong Cats premiership favorites but fixture curveball, defeat St Kilda Saints, Nathan Buckley on Best On Ground

Geelong Cats premiership favorites but fixture curveball, defeat St Kilda Saints, Nathan Buckley on Best On Ground

Geelong veteran Zach Tuohy believes there’s a different feeling about his playing group in 2022 compared to past seasons after the Cats claimed their 11th straight win on Saturday night.

But while seven-time All-Australian Nathan Buckley believes the Cats are “primed at the right time of the year and on top of the ladder for a reason”, he holds some concerns about how “hardened” the Cats could be come September, with clashes against two bottom-10 opponents to come over the final two home and away rounds.

The Cats on Saturday cemented their spot inside the top four with a 45-point win over St Kilda at GMHBA Stadium. It means the Cats will earn a double chance in finals for a fourth straight season – and the ninth time in 12 seasons under coach Chris Scott.

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The narrative around Geelong at this time of the year in recent seasons has been whether they’re able to translate their home and away form into a finals campaign, consistently reaching the preliminary final stage since 2013 but falling short of a flag.

Speaking on Fox Footy’s Best On Ground on Saturday night, Tuohy said there was something different about the 2022 Cats.

“We’ve certainly always felt we’re in with a big shout coming to the pointy end of the year, but this year kind of does have a different smell to it,” Tuohy told Fox Footy.

“I’m not sure you can shut down one or two of our players and think it’s going to effect the result too much, which is a great problem to have.”

Asked if the Cats were the clear No. 1 seed heading into finals, triple premiership Lion Jonathan Brown told Best On Ground: “I think so. They’re building something nicely, they just seem to be very complete.

“I just have more confidence in the game style they play. I think it’ll stack up better in September.”

Saints champion Nick Riewoldt added Roo: “That style they played that brought them unstuck – in finals in particular under the fierce pressure – that control game, they can flick to it and still go to it, but they’re less inclined to start games like it

“I think they’re just far more potent on offense than they have been in recent times and they haven’t given up much defensively.”

After a tough five-game run against finals contenders, the Cats now face Gold Coast (11th) and West Coast (17th) to finish their home and away game.

Buckley suggested it’s “not the best way to finish the home and away season”.

“You want to be hardened because you get that week off between home and away and finals, so if there’s anything that’s not working for Geelong, it might be those couple of games,” he told Best On Ground. “But they’ve taken it all before them.”

Isaac Smith of the Cats is in stellar form. Picture: Darrian TraynorSource: Getty Images

But Buckley said the changes the Cats had made personnel-wise over the past 12 months would put them in good stead for a shot at this year’s flag.

“Sam De Koning down back, Tyson Stengle up forward, Jeremy Cameron’s up and about, Zach Guthrie played a really good game tonight and Tom Atkins through the midfield – five players they’ve found this year they didn’t have last year,” he said.

“They’ve always had a deep squad and players that can come in and play the roles, but they just seem to be deeper again this year.

“The other two are Max Holmes, who’s a young player that’s getting it done, and at the other end of the spectrum is Isaac Smith – those two are running players getting up and down the ground in front of the ball. Brad Close is another … I mean Sam Menegola wasn’t even in the 22 and he comes in and he’s a legitimate AFL player.

“They’re really well placed and that depth of squad they’ve been able to put together with shrewd trading and recruiting, salary cap management – ​​they’ve done well.”

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Adelaide pre-season camp, Don Pyke apologises, ex-coach’s role, Eddie Betts, Josh Jenkins, Bryce Gibbs claims

Adelaide pre-season camp, Don Pyke apologises, ex-coach's role, Eddie Betts, Josh Jenkins, Bryce Gibbs claims

Former Adelaide coach Don Pyke has apologized for the 2018 pre-season camp amid growing scrutiny of his role in it, as players continue to speak out.

On Saturday Bryce Gibbs joined Josh Jenkins and Eddie Betts as past Adelaide players opening up on their disturbing experiences.

Gibbs backed up Jenkins and Betts’ claims, including about counselors asking the players for personal information which was then used to abuse them during camp rituals.

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Jenkins revealed during the now-infamous ‘harness’ incident he asked Pyke and Crows development manager Heath Younie why it was taking place, telling them “we lost a game of footy (the 2017 Grand Final), we are all good people, this is rubbish and I think we should all leave”.

Crows higher-ups have also been criticized for their handling of the camp fall-out, with Jenkins claiming the club told players it had signed confidentiality agreements on their behalf, and that after Indigenous players’ reaction to the camp, it was suggested they as a group would be excluded from the leadership program.

The Herald Sun’s Mark Robinson wrote this weekend: “Coach Don Pyke, who was on the camp and surely aware of the distress and distrust growing within his playing group, needed to be better.

“I needed to stop it. Someone had to and he was coach.”

Buddy likely to stay in Sydney? | 00:35

Now a Swans assistant, Pyke delivered an apology while speaking to media at Melbourne Airport on Saturday.

“To Josh and Eddie and the Adelaide players and staff who were involved, I apologize for the camp. It’s saddened me to see they’re feeling that way. I acknowledge the hurt and I’m sorry,” he said.

“I’ve been in contact with both of them, haven’t had a chance to speak to them yet but have spoken to a couple of the other guys. Clearly it’s a sad time for us all. I’ll reach out to some other guys in the next couple of days.

“Clearly we’re always reflecting, there’s a couple of components there – firstly with Eddie and Josh, the fact they feel personal information they provided was used against them, that’s disappointing and unacceptable. I’m saddened by that, sorry for that.

“Clearly we entered as I’ve said before, a space to improve from a performance viewpoint. And that space had some challenges and we got it wrong, that has to be acknowledged. Whether it was our planning, whether it was our assessment, the execution or the follow-up or the debriefing following the events of the camp, clearly it was an error and I’ve apologized to the playing group before and I apologise again.

“I respect Eddie and Josh for speaking out and saying their piece about how they felt about the camp. It’s put it on the agenda and on the table for discussion. It’s important we have the discussion to try and deal with the issues that arise from that.

“If there’s still people with ongoing issues we support them and we try and actually move on from this. It’s a challenging time for all of us but one that we’ll hopefully get through.”

Pyke was also asked whether he believed his role in the camp would impact his chances of getting another senior coaching role, such as at GWS, but said that it was “for others” to discuss.

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Former Adelaide Crow Bryce Gibbs speaks out about infamous training camp after Eddie Betts book release

Bryce Gibbs celebrates a goal for Adelaide

Former Adelaide Crows footballer Bryce Gibbs has admitted a controversial pre-season training camp fractured the playing group and says he regrets not speaking up about it.

Gibbs is the latest player to speak publicly about the camp, echoing concerns about the Gold Coast trip raised by former teammates Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins.

Betts wrote in his book, released this week, how personal details he confidentially shared with a counselor were used to verbally abuse him in front of teammates, in an experience he found “traumatizing.”

In another example, Betts details how First Nations rituals were misappropriated, which he found “extremely disrespectful”.

Gibbs said incidents shared by Betts and Jenkins about the camp should not have happened.

“When I reflect, this is where I feel really disappointed in myself, this is when I started to take a back seat, watching guys stand up and say ‘this is not on, we need to address this, we need to tell people what happened’, they seemed to get shut down pretty quickly,” Gibbs told radio station SEN SA.

Gibbs was traded from Carlton at the end of 2017 and joined Adelaide weeks before the players went on the camp, where he was included in the more intensive “group one” version of the camp alongside nine other players and two coaches.

The retired AFL player said he was disappointed he did not support teammates who experienced a more difficult time during the camp than he did.

books of eddie betts on bookshelf, with his face on the front cover.
Eddie Betts’ biography, The Boy from Boomerang Crescent, includes claims about his traumatic experience during the training camp.(ABC News: Ben Pettit)

“Reflecting on those ongoing conversations when we were trying to flush it out, I do regret not speaking up when I probably should’ve been a more experienced and senior player of that group,” he said.

“It did fracture the playing group, it fractured relationships in the football department, players lost trust with members in that football department.”

In a statement made in 2021, the Crows said a SafeWork SA investigation “found neither the club nor any other person or organisation, breached any work-health-and-safety laws during or in relation to the camp.”

“We tried to move on where that was obviously the wrong thing to do and that’s probably why we’re speaking about it four years on,” Gibbs said.

“If it was handled correctly and people had taken responsibility, put their hand up and knocked it on the head a lot earlier when it happened, it still would’ve been hard as people still went through what they went through – and people will still carry some emotional scars from it — but at least it would’ve been dealt with in the proper manner then and there.”

‘It shouldn’t have happened’

Gibbs said he took a call from a counselor before the camp to discuss his childhood and past experiences, which he thought was “a bit of a red flag.” He said he was “pretty calculated” in what he disclosed.

He said by not divulging too much to the counsellor, his experience of the camp was different from what Betts and Jenkins spoke about this week.

“Reflecting on it all, it just shouldn’t have happened. It was easier for me to move on as I didn’t have that level of experience and trauma put to me, I found it easier to suppress it and squash it and just try and move on personally which I was able to do, which made it easier for me,” Gibbs said.

“That’s my experience of the camp, obviously very different to a lot of people.”

Eddie Betts jumps onto Josh Jenkins as the crowd cheers a goal in the background.
Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins (right) have both spoken publicly about the 2018 pre-season training camp.(AAP: Tracey Nearmy)

Jenkins recalled an exercise involving players being hoisted up in harnesses while having abuse hurled at them by facilitators and teammates, including “some of the barbs” being thrown at Betts.

Gibbs said he was told not to reveal details of the camp to players in the other groups of the camp.

“Getting spoken to and getting educated on what to say to family, friends and the other guys in the other groups, we were told not to go into detail about what happened and for whatever reason most of us stuck to that at the time,” he said.

‘Strange rules’ during camp

Gibbs said he experienced “unusual things” and “plenty of red flags” during the infamous training trip but convinced himself to keep an open mind and that the camp would help build stronger relationships with his teammates.

The 268-game veteran shared that on the trip to the campsite, Crows players were blindfolded and were not allowed to talk on the bus, which had blacked-out windows.

They played heavy metal music on the bus and talked about the 2017 Grand Final, in which Adelaide were heavily defeated by Richmond, and Gibbs’ departure from Carlton.

Gibbs said “strange rules” were enforced during the camp, including players being required to walk in a straight line and not being allowed to use their mobile phones or shower.

A football player crouches with a yellow ball while surrounded by other players
Bryce Gibbs plays for South Adelaide in SANFL since retiring from AFL in 2020.(Supplied: Nick Hook via South Adelaide FC)

He said some of the rules imposed were “hard to justify” and players were doubting the benefits of the training.

“I felt like we were in a bit of a state of mind, this whole experience was happening around us and a couple of guys spoke up about their concerns, it was sort of negotiated that we would continue on with what we were doing,” Gibbs said.

“I think Eddie used “brainwashed”, as he described it, but in the state of mind and in the moment we just continued doing what they’d set out to do.

“It probably wasn’t until later on when reflecting on it that it was probably an opportunity to speak up a bit more.”

The AFL and the Adelaide Football Club have both apologized to Betts for the trauma caused by the camp.

Prominent Adelaide lawyer Greg Griffin said he had spoken to at least seven players who were on the 2018 Crows’ list about a potential class action.

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AFL reacts to Eddie Betts ‘betrayal’ at Adelaide Crows pre-season camp

AFL reacts to Eddie Betts 'betrayal' at Adelaide Crows pre-season camp

The AFL community has reacted with disgust after former Adelaide footballer Eddie Betts published a confronting recollection of his experience at a pre-season camp with the Crows in early 2018.

The leadership camp, following the Crows’ 2017 AFL Grand Final loss to Richmond, thrust the club into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

A number of players and officials left the club in the wake of the camp, and now Betts has detailed behind-the-scenes information in his upcoming autobiography The Boy from Boomerang Crescent.

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The four-day camp on the Gold Coast left Betts feeling “like a piece of me was brainwashed”, with excerpts being reported by Nine Newspapers.

Betts alleged that confidential information he shared in counseling sessions had been misused, writing that the camp misappropriated sensitive Aboriginal cultural rituals.

Following the ordeal, the three-time All-Australian Betts said he approached the Crows and voiced his concerns with the camp, only to be dropped from the leadership group three weeks later.

Betts said the camp had a major impact on his form and left the star forward questioning his place in the game. He left the Crows and returned to Carlton at the end of 2019 before retiring at the end of 2021.

Adelaide board member Mark Ricciuto, who represented the club for 15 seasons, responded to the damning allegations on Wednesday morning.

“He’s been one of the greats of the club,” Ricciuto told Adelaide’s Triple M Breakfast with Roo, Ditts and Loz.

“Player welfare is always number one no matter what’s going on, you always want everyone to be happy, so it’s very sad.

“I think the club has been on record at times to say that they acknowledge that it wasn’t handled perfectly. It had all good intentions but didn’t go perfectly.

“We all love Eddie and hopefully Eddie is getting over that… certainly the club moved on from that and are looking towards the future and have made a lot of ground since back then. It has come up in Eddie’s book and that is fair enough.”

Betts’ revelations have angered the footy community. Former Swans star Ryan Fitzgerald, who is a huge Crows fan, tweeted: “Really uncomfortable to read. Particularly the insensitivities around Eddie’s past of him. He is such an integral part of the AFC and their history, so rejected that he left feeling like that.”

Ex-Melbourne captain Garry Lyon also reacted. “When you read those words from Eddie, there is no debate about how it impacted on him,” he told SEN Breakfast.

“He talks about the Indigenous players, the cultural differences or sensitivities that weren’t adhered to. That’s Eddie … and that’s unequivocal, right? You can’t argue with any of that.

“Everyone’s own experiences have been caught up in this and from an Indigenous point of view, a lot of it since Eddie said that cultural sensitivities weren’t adhered to – and that is very, very real.

“In the end, it was untenable. We talk about the atmosphere and environment … take apart who you agree with and you don’t agree with, the fact of the matter is it split the club down the middle. When you get the (Rory) Sloanes and the (Taylor) Walkers, who have their recollection, and then you’ve got Eddie and others I would imagine… no wonder it destroyed that joint.

“You’ve got a section of the football club – and I’m not just putting this at the feet of Walker and Sloane, there may be others in the same boat – saying, ‘I got so much out of this, it was good’. And then on the other hand, right at the other end of the scale, you’ve got, ‘No, it ripped me apart, it ripped my relationship apart’.

“No wonder then from a footy club point of view and trying to stay together and on the same page, it ended up where it was.

“If you are told, whether you’re black or white or otherwise, ‘These camp people want to speak to you and they say to step aside from everyone else privately and we want you to have a conversation where you are open and vulnerable’ … And I go, ‘OK. In terms of building me as a better player and a leader, I’ll share and I’ll give you these really sensitive things that, to me, are important’. Then to have that thrown back in my face, that’s not cultural for me.

“How it affects me and someone else might be different based on culture, but that’s a betrayal for me.”

speaking on SEN SA Breakfastformer Port Adelaide star Kane Cornes questioned Adelaide’s leadership, calling out Crows star Rory Sloane for his public remarks after the camp when he said it made him a better husband and a better father.

“The question is, all of the people who have defended the camp and have said nothing went on, including the Crows fans, including Mark Ricciuto, including the club, what do they do now? Details have come out, Eddie Betts was abused about his mother, ”Cornes said.

“The saddest thing for me, the two most popular players at Adelaide are Tony Modra and Eddie Betts. No one made the Adelaide Oval stand up when they went near the football in Crows history like Eddie Betts. No one has been more popular.

“That’s the echelon that Eddie Betts is held in. To read how he was treated by his own football club, of which he is an icon, that was the saddest part for me.

“We do now have a blow-by-blow account which is pretty harrowing that your most popular player in club history was treated like an animal on this camp.

“I think it’s embarrassing for Rory Sloane and Taylor Walker to now hear that that was a rehearsed line and that they were all told and indoctrinated into saying it had made them a better father and husband and child. And to see Eddie Betts relay that that was actually rehearsed, it does not paint Rory and his leadership of him in great light.

“There’s a lot of egg on the face of Crows supporters, the footy club and a few players that were there.”

The Crows were cleared of any work health and safety breaches after an independent investigation into the training camp by SafeWork SA.

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