Saints star weighs up police involvement over racism
Shayne Hope and Roger Vaughan |
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera is weighing up whether to take the AFL’s latest racist abuse to Victoria Police.
The St Kilda young gun and Port Adelaide’s Jase Burgoyne called out racist abuse from faceless trolls online after their Sunday games, sharing details of messages they received via social media that night.
Last week, a Melbourne man was arrested and charged after alleged racist comments on social media directed towards NBL star Montrezl Harrell.
Saints chief executive Carl Dilena told a Monday media conference that lodging a police complaint may be an option for Wanganeen-Milera.
“It could be, and that’s with Nas at the moment to decide. It’s his decision as to whether he wants to take it further,” Dilena said.
“It could be a potential outcome. The police have a lot more power to investigate and access information.”
The Saints and Port Adelaide have strongly condemned the messages, confirming on Monday they were working with the AFL Integrity Unit to identify those responsible.
Wanganeen-Milera received messages from an anonymous account after the Saints’ narrow five-point loss to Sydney.
The messages appeared to be related to betting on Wanganeen-Milera’s disposal tally.
The 22-year-old playmaker had 24 disposals under close attention from Swans tagger James Jordon.
In response to the abuse, Wanganeen-Milera posted: “Over a game of football! Hero mate.”
He received support from Saints teammate Liam Stocker, who reposted Wanganeen-Milera’s story with the message: “Get a grip. Pissant. Put your name on it you donkey.”
“As a club we do not accept racist behaviour of any kind,” Dilena said.
“These comments are abhorrent and have no place in our game or our community.
“Beyond Nasiah’s talent on the field, he is a proud Kokatha and Narangga man who deserves to work and live free from this type of abuse.
“St Kilda Football Club stands firmly with Nasiah, his family and all First Nations people, and we remain committed to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for everyone.”
Dilena later added Wanganeen-Milera was in “good shape” after being upset on Sunday night, and praised him for calling out the abuse.
Burgoyne also shared an image of messages he received, which also targeted his family, after Port’s 26-point win over West Coast.
The 21-year-old posted the screenshot with a clown emoji seemingly directed at the troll.
“Such abuse is reprehensible and will not, and should not, be tolerated,” Port Adelaide said in a statement.
“We also encourage people who witness or experience online abuse to report and highlight it to the social media platforms on which it appears.”
Port Adelaide also called on governments to demand accountability from social media organisations.
“Platforms need to take accountability and action against these abusers,” the club said.
The AFL and AFL Players Association have repeatedly condemned online racial abuse of players in recent years.
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon acknowledged the courage of Wanganeen-Milera and Burgoyne in calling out the “unacceptable” racist comments, and offered the league’s support to the pair.
“To hide behind a fake account is cowardly and I want the people that have created these online accounts and racially abused our players to know that our game does not want you,” Dillon said.
“Real fans don’t racially abuse players.
“We have been clear that there is absolutely no place for this behaviour in our sport and in society.
“Racism is never acceptable and these incidents demonstrate there is so much more work to be done.”
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