By Jon Pierik
Collingwood president Jeff Browne has backed club chief executive Craig Kelly as a new club racism scandal threatens to overshadow Scott Pendlebury’s 400th game.
Browne fronted the media on Wednesday following an early morning crisis meeting of the board, after it emerged that Kelly was accused of making repeated racist slurs and physically assaulting a First Nations employee of the club, who is no longer on staff.
Collingwood Football Club chief executive Craig Kelly.Credit: AAP
In documents filed as part of an application against his dismissal, the club’s former head of First Nations programs, Mark Cleaver, claims Kelly behaved in a “racist and ableist” manner towards him while they worked together between February and May this year. Cleaver was later dismissed.
Browne said “the allegations that have been made are very serious”, but insisted he “totally and absolutely” had full faith in Kelly, a 1990 Magpies premiership player who was a powerful player agent before returning to the club as CEO.
“I don’t think he [Kelly] is the sort of person that would disrespect any other person,” Browne said.
Browne said the Magpies were not calling Cleaver a liar.
“Just wait to see the outcome of these proceedings before you finally make a judgment on that,” Browne said.
“We’re backing in Craig Kelly. We intend to fight these proceedings and see them through to a judgment. He [Cleaver] was with us for six months – [a] fairly short period of time. As a result of some other conduct, which came to light as a result of me examining his role, his employment was terminated – I terminated it.”
In response to Browne’s comments, a Maurice Blackburn Lawyers spokesman said: “We deny that our client is dishonest, and those matters and the reason for the dismissal will be the subject of an upcoming hearing.”
Asked if he could “categorically” confirm that Kelly had not made the alleged comments, Browne said the matter would be tested in the courts.
“Well, you’ll find that those [claims] will be addressed in the defence in the legal proceedings,” he said.
Mediation talks between the two parties broke down, Browne said.
In the court documents, Cleaver says he was working on a project to open a cultural room when Kelly confronted him over the length of time it was taking. The pair discussed artefacts that would go on show before it’s alleged Kelly picked up a marngrook (a ball made of possum hair) and “forcefully threw it at” Cleaver.
“I don’t give a f--- what you put in there,” Kelly is alleged to have said. “I don’t give a f--- if you put a live f---ing possum in there.”
Collingwood Football Club president Jeff Browne backed CEO Craig Kelly.Credit: Getty Images
Kelly was admonished by another staffer for his alleged “culturally” unsafe behaviour. The documents allege Kelly said: “I know it’s inappropriate.”
Cleaver is the only person making the allegations, which have not been tested in court.
He also alleges he was dealing with a First Nation’s behaviour-change program body which claimed the Magpies had failed to pay fees of between $300,000 and $500,000. The documents claim Kelly asked: “Are they trying to extort us for money? These people do that.”
Later, Kelly attended a meeting about the issue with Indigenous elder Aunty Carol Thorpe where he blamed a club predecessor for the delayed payment. Kelly is alleged to have said: “I really care about our Indigenous people.”
According to the documents, Thorpe then told Kelly: “You don’t say ‘our’, we don’t belong to you.” After thanking her in the meeting for “pulling me up on that”, Kelly is alleged to have later referred to Thorpe as “that dumb old bitch”.
The Magpies, including the club’s head of people and culture, were aware of the allegations before they became public. The club said it had the allegations investigated by an expert in workplace relations.
Browne said the investigation had found no evidence of illegal behaviour.
“As a consequence of that, the complainant has now issued proceedings in the Federal Court,” Browne said.
Magpies great Scott Pendlebury trains on Wednesday ahead of his 400th game on Saturday.Credit: Getty Images
“The matter is before the court and that will be tested. What you’ve seen so far is the allegations, you haven’t seen the defence. Wait until you see that before you form any conclusions about the merit or otherwise of the allegations. The core of our defence will be the substance of the factual findings contained in the investigation.”
The matter is listed for a hearing in August.
Cleaver, who has multiple sclerosis, also alleges in the documents that Kelly was physically rough with him on numerous occasions. He reported the alleged assaults to Victoria Police, which investigated the matter but ended the probe due to insufficient evidence with no charges laid.
This is not the first time the Magpies have faced racism claims. The club commissioned an independent review in 2021. The Do Better report uncovered systemic racism stretching back decades and made a range of recommendations to change the culture of the club.
Cleaver was employed by the Magpies in November 2023 as part of a series of commitments following the Do Better report, which fast-tracked Eddie McGuire’s departure as club president.
The law firm representing Cleaver said the allegations raised questions about the Magpies’ willingness to improve their culture since the 2021 scandal.
“The allegations in this case call into question whether the Collingwood Football Club has learned anything from its multiple self-inflicted racism scandals,” Daniel Victory, principal with Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, said in a statement on Tuesday.
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers were contacted for comment on Wednesday.
AFL spokesman Jay Allen confirmed Cleaver had lodged a complaint with league investigators in March.
“The AFL Integrity Unit was made aware of a workplace HR complaint by a Collingwood Football Club employee,” Allen said.
“The matter was deemed a workplace issue for the club and was triaged to the club’s HR department to manage accordingly.”
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