Fremantle Dockers Sexual Harassment Scandal Threatens to Destroy Club

Ross Lyon is under the spotlight over a series of alleged inappropriate comments made to a junior staffer.

I have been a passionate supporter of the Fremantle Docker Football Club in the AFL since it first began playing in 1995. I've seen some wins, many ugly and awful losses and the closest we've ever come to winning the flag was the 2013 Grand Final. I've spent hours talking about the club with other fans, sometimes been not afraid to criticise the club when they screw up, but my love for the club has never diminished!

Right now though is the biggest crisis that the Fremantle Football Club has ever faced and it's one that brings the ugly nature of society to the surface.

Let me be clear that at this point in time, we are dealing with a lot of speculation so the following is what I have pieced together from all the media coverage.

A few years ago there was a staff Christmas party celebrating a hard year's work.

During the course of the evening, a senior official (seemingly coach Ross Lyon) made either 1 or several inappropriate comments towards a female junior staffer.

Complaints were made to senior officials either on the night or the following day with the staffer being interviewed providing both a verbal and written statement.

The club investigates and eventually forces Ross Lyon to apologise however the staffer is distraught and elects to leave the club following what is alleged to be more inappropriate comments from another senior official.

Towards the end of 2017, the (now) former staffer makes a complaint to the AFL Integrity Unit which results in the Fremantle Football Club being investigated for dealings.

During this time a deal was struck with a payment anywhere from $20,000 to $100k + along with a Non-Disclosure Agreement being signed.

The Integrity Unit's investigation clears Fremantle and Ross Lyon of any improper conduct and as such the investigation is closed which should mean the end of the story.

The Herald Sun then get a hold of the initial investigation story on Saturday 14th April which then leads to further drip feeding on payments in an attempt to smoke out the perpetrator.

On Monday 30th April, The Age post a story claiming that it was one comment and that Lyon self-reported the next day which made it look like it was really innocuous. Yesterday, the Herald Sun came back and the key summary of their article was as follows;

The way this reads looks really ugly not just for Lyon but also the Fremantle Football Club. The way this reads is that there has been a real failure in procedures. The way this reads is that something went horribly wrong and now there is an attempt to cover it up which hasn't worked.

There is also one other problem that caught my eye:

Given there is supposedly a non-disclosure agreement for this, who is responsible for leaking this? You can bet that it wouldn't be Lyon and you'd be damn certain it wasn't the former staffer which would lead to the conclusion that someone close to the staffer is responsible for this. The fact that the media have then gone on to report this story, would also make them complicit in the disclosure of a non-disclosure agreement. If it's legally enforceable you can bet that there will be lawyers ready to go hard on this.

While I have raised points of concern, I would like to say this

This story has been blown into a massive scandal given the #metoo movement that has swept the world. That is not to say that I endorse this sort of behaviour and in fact, when I first heard the story, I was sick to the stomach about it. Nothing that has happened since has changed this view. If the allegations are proven, Ross Lyon would be on the verge of being forced to leave the club, because of the massive outcry that will inevitably follow. In saying that, I don't think he'll be the only one that will be out with CEO Steve Rosich very likely to follow or walk the plank first.

Whatever way you look at it, at 2am on Saturday morning here in Melbourne, the Fremantle Football Club is in an ugly crisis entirely of its own making.