Christian Petracca has slammed the racial targeting of Melbourne teammate Kysaiah Pickett on social media as “disgusting” as the AFL community rallies around him.
Third-year forward Pickett, known as ‘Kozzy’, kicked the match-winning goal in thrilling fashion for the Demons with 11 seconds left to pinch victory from Carlton on Saturday night.
The brilliant goal sparked wild celebrations from Melbourne and left a series of stony-faced Blues defenders to rue a wasted opportunity to lock in their finals berth.
But Pickett’s exhilarating moment was soured when an Instagram user racially vilified him, marking the second time in as many seasons the young Demon has been abused on social media.
Coach Simon Goodwin revealed in August last year that Pickett was “visibly distressed” after the previous occasion, with retired AFL champion Eddie Betts calling for clubs to unite to stamp out racism.
Melbourne is working with the AFL’s integrity department to try to identify the social media user responsible for the comments.
Petracca said people believed there were no consequences for their social media actions and could “hide behind their phone and write what they want”.
“It is absolutely disgusting,” the 2021 Norm Smith medalist told KIIS 101.1’s Jase and Lauren on Monday.
“It is just so unfair for a player who is an absolute freak. He is 21 years old, he is an Indigenous player.
“Indigenous players bring so much to the game – so much entertainment, flair, excitement and passion and they put bums on seats.
“To do that (racially vilify him) is just really frustrating, because … as much as clubs can put these statements out, it is so hard to control, because these days they are just keyboard warriors.”
Petracca said the long-term solution to this behavior was greater education.
“The AFL and all the clubs are really quick to respond to all that stuff – it’s just Instagram, and people make fake accounts,” he said.
“They are just trolls, it’s really disgusting and they don’t understand the human side of it.
“(We saw what happened) last year with the Eddie Betts stuff, and it’s all about education around footy clubs and showing us the history of Indigenous lands and what they’ve gone through.”
The Demons issued a statement on Sunday morning condemning the social media comments.
“Last night a Melbourne player was again subjected to racism on social media,” the statement read.
“This sort of behavior is abhorrent and needs to stop. It is saddening, angering and unacceptable that this behavior continues to occur.
“It is important that we, as a football community, call this behavior out and hold these individuals to account.”
Adelaide Crows chairman John Olsen says the club has not sought legal advice despite talk of a class action in the wake of Eddie Betts’ claims about a controversial 2018 training camp.
Key points:
Crows chairman John Olsen said a class action would be addressed if and when it happened
He rejected suggestions there had been a cover-up at the time of the camp
But he conceded elements of what had occurred were “inexcusable”
Mr Olsen described any such move against the club as “hypothetical”, and also defended the way the club had responded in the seven days since the publication of Betts’ memoir The Boy from Boomerang Crescent.
The book details Betts’ anxiety and anger following the preseason camp, and prompted former Crow Josh Jenkins to speak out as well.
Adelaide lawyer Greg Griffin said he had begun investigating a potential class action against the club, on behalf of several players who attended the camp.
“Any action would be brought in the Supreme Court of Victoria, which requires a minimum of seven group members to bring and maintain a class action,” he said.
“The number of persons, or players, is well in excess of the number that we require.”
But Mr Olsen, who earlier this week issued a public apology to Betts and Jenkins, told ABC Radio Adelaide such a development would be addressed if and when it arose.
“It is hypothetical, because until it takes place it’s not fact, and if it takes place, we’ll address the issue at that time,” he said.
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Adelaide Crows chairman John Olsen speaks to ABC Radio Adelaide’s Stacey Lee and Nikolai Beilharz.
Mr Olsen said he had spoken to all the club’s board members in the past week, but issues for discussion did not include the position of board member Mark Ricciuto who, on his Triple M breakfast show last week, said “the club has moved on from “the camp.
“Mark’s position at the board was not discussed at the meeting over the weekend. That’s not on my agenda at the moment,” Mr Olsen said.
Mr Olsen joined the club in 2020, two years after the now infamous camp.
Denials of a ‘cover-up’
The former SA premier denied the club had sought to conceal the controversy at the time, and said player welfare was the current “priority”.
“I think that’s a stretch to say there was a cover-up. People were dealing with a difficult situation,” he said.
“A number of individuals indicated to me they had a very positive experience at the camp.
“[But receiving] confidential information given by a player, and that being used in front of others at the camp, is inexcusable.
“Those circumstances cannot, and will not, happen again.”
A crowd favorite during his time at Adelaide, Betts returned to Carlton at the end of the 2019 season.(AAP: David Mariuz)
Since the publication of Betts’ book, Mr Olsen has confined himself to individual interviews and statements, rather than holding a media conference — an approach he defended.
“I have made myself available across the board, to radio, print and television,” he said.
“Shortly after Eddie Betts’s book had been released, and his comments related to chapter 17, [chief executive] Tim Silvers was immediately available on that Wednesday and immediately apologised.”
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.
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.”
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.
Key points:
Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins spoke publicly about what went wrong at the Crows pre-season camp
Crows chairman and chief executive apologize to both players and club members
A SafeWork SA investigation had cleared the field of work safety breaches
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.”
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.
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.
Things went from bad to worse for Carlton on Sunday in the second quarter against the Brisbane Lions.
Being blown off the park as they found themselves down 38-2, the Blues needed a spark and skipper Patrick Cripps tried to deliver it.
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A long kick down the line from Adam Cerra was punched high into the air by Brisbane’s Daniel Rich and Lions teammate Callum Ah Chee camped himself underneath it.
As the ball came down, Cripps came in at a hundred miles an hour and launched off the deck and flattened Ah Chee with a nasty hip and shoulder.
The impact of the hit left Ah Chee flat on the Gabba surface as several Lions teammates remonstrated with Cripps.
Medical staff rushed to Ah Chee’s side and he remained hunched over on his hands and knees before he was able to get back to his feet and under his own power make his way off the ground.
To make matters even worse for Cripps and his upcoming date with the Match Review Panel, Ah Chee was subbed out of the game with concussion, Mitch Robinson took his place.
Cripps was sixth favorite for the 2022 Brownlow Medal on TAB markets, but his name will surely contain an asterisk on the AFL’s night of nights.
“He’s much more likely to be suspended than not. The AFL’s bottom line is if you choose to bump, you’re responsible for the fallout,” Jon Ralph said on Fox Footy during the halftime show.
“This is a textbook case. He jumps off the ground, it’s not a marking contest, he doesn’t really contest the ball, he braces rather than reaches for the ball.
“Ah Chee is subbed out so it is absolutely medium impact, potentially even high impact.”
Collingwood’s Brayden Maynard was rubbed out earlier in the year for a strikingly similar hit on GWS’ Daniel Lloyd that resulted in him missing two weeks.
“It’s a tough one to watch,” former Carlton star Eddie Betts said on Fox Footy.
Carlton’s place in the finals is on the line, currently sitting seventh on the ladder one game clear of the ninth placed St Kilda.
They finish the season with games against the reigning premiers Melbourne and the running-hot Collingwood.
Failing to win any and they could find themselves standing on the outside looking in and having to secure a win without their inspirational skipper could prove to be mission impossible.
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.
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.
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.
Key points:
Bryce Gibbs joined the Adelaide Crows in 2017 shortly before the preseason training camp
He says he regrets not speaking up and supporting his teammates
Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins this week shared their experience of the camp
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.
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 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.
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.
Retired AFL player Josh Jenkins has called for a “damning report” by a club doctor following the Adelaide Crows’ controversial 2018 camp to be made public and says he was moved on from the club for being a “problem child.”
Key points:
Josh Jenkins left the Adelaide Crows at the end of the 2019 season
He says he was moved on from the club for speaking out internally about the 2018 preseason camp
Jenkins claims details about his upbringing were used during the camp against his wishes
Jenkins has spoken publicly about the camp for the first time, backing up former teammate Eddie Betts — who has released a book this week which details the trauma he experienced as a result of the 2018 camp.
As well as outlining his own experience at the camp, Jenkins has called for the findings from a report conducted by club doctor Marc Cesana after the camp to be made public.
“No-one has ever acted on that report, which I know is damning,” Jenkins told Melbourne radio station SEN.
“The report must see the light of day. It’s the only example of a medical professional who had day-to-day dealings with the people and players who were involved. He was concerned about us.
“He expressed his disappointment to me about what happened to us, but never disclosed the details of what he’d discussed with other players.”
In a statement, the Adelaide Crows said the club was not in a position to publicly share private medical information relating to its people.
“While under investigation, the club provided the doctor’s report, without identifying individuals, to both the AFL and SafeWork SA,” it said.
Jenkins also claimed the club’s welfare manager was “iced out” of all discussions, planning and follow-up conversations regarding the camp.
Josh Jenkins says he had asked facilitators not to use information about his upbringing during the camp.(AAP: Kelly Barnes)
In detailing the events of the camp, Jenkins said he was one of 10 players and two coaches who were part of the more intensive “group one” version of the camp.
He said he had reservations about taking part in the camp and tried to get himself out of it on numerous occasions.
“I recall us going around the circle and accepting the challenge whilst a couple of players needed to be withdrawn due to injury issues, as well as one player being removed because of some personal trauma he’d recently experienced,” Jenkins said.
“Hearing he was removed because his personal trauma may be too much on top of what we were about to endure had alarm bells ringing inside my head.”
Jenkins, who was raised by his non-biological grandmother, said he provided a “supposed counsellor” with details about his childhood prior to going on the camp.
“I specifically asked for assurance pre-camp that nothing regarding my childhood would be raised or used on the camp to spur me on or ‘break me down’,” he said.
“It’s my belief this promise was broken. And I’m not certain I’ll ever forgive those involved for that.
“Nor am I sure anyone has even truly taken responsibility for what went on and why it was allowed to happen.”
Jenkins recalled an exercise involving players being hoisted up in harnesses while having abuse hurled at them by facilitators and teammates.
He said he recalled “some of the barbs” being thrown at Betts and believed some players with a more “normal upbringing” might have been less affected by the camp.
He said post-camp, the club “completely fell apart” and everyone had been sworn to secrecy about what had occurred.
“Myself and a coach stood up one session and demanded we tell each other what happened, and the CEO or football manager — I cannot recall exactly who — stood up and said we were unable to because the club had signed confidentiality agreements on everyone’s behalf, “he said.
“I said, ‘I didn’t sign a damn thing.'”
Time as a Crow ‘significantly soured’
Jenkins said he continued to make his position on the camp known and he often spoke out on behalf of other players, causing friction between him and the club.
“In the end, when I knew where my future was headed, I looked forward to these conversations — which I regret because my time as a Crow has been significantly soured,” he said.
“In the end, I was moved on from the Crows as a problem child, an argument starter and even in one piece of media literature I saw labeling me as ‘cancerous’.
“The only cancer at the club was the idea that taking us on a psychologically unsafe camp that was supposedly going to make us better parents, siblings and teammates.”
Eddie Betts published details of the camp in his book.(ABC News: Ben Pettit)
Jenkins was traded to Geelong at the end of the 2019 season and retired from football last year.
He said his words today were not an attack on the club, and that he “loved the Crows” and what they provided to his family.
“I am so proud my name will be on the number four locker forever, but you cannot do things like this to people and not be held accountable,” he said.
The AFL and the Adelaide Football Club have both apologized to Betts for the trauma caused by the camp.
Current coach Matthew Nicks, who was appointed to the club in 2019, said he had spoken to “several” current players who attended the camp, and would reach out to Betts and other former players in the coming weeks to “see how they’re going”.
