Cyril Rioli and his wife,Shannyn Ah Sam-Rioli.
Sources also revealed that there had been close to 18 submissions made to the inquiry,all in written form,from past players after Hawthorn wrote to approximately 120 past players and invited them to make comments for the inquiry,which is investigating allegations levelled against four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson and his former lieutenants Chris Fagan and Jason Burt.
Sources said a number of the confidential submissions from former players had been in defence of those officials,who are defending themselves against allegations from former players,including that a First Nations player was encouraged to have his pregnant partner terminate her pregnancy. Clarkson,Fagan and Burt have strenuously denied the allegations and are putting forth their versions of events in the investigation,headed by a four-member panel chaired by KC Bernie Quinn.
It was the grievances aired by Rioli and his wife - including Shannyn’s unhappiness with comments by former president Jeff Kennett - that led Hawthorn to commission a cultural safety review of the club’s handling of First Nations players. This review,completed by Indigenous consultant Phil Egan,brought the allegations by players and their partners that has led the AFL to have an inquiry.
Loading
Rioli has remained distant from the Hawks,having been incensed by a racist comment by a senior teammate on an end of season trip in 2013. “Cyril found out about it and was very upset,”Shannyn toldThe Age’s Caroline Wilson back in April.
Shannyn Ah Sam-Rioli had also been upset by comments by Kennett in Launceston about the style of her ripped jeans - comments she said had made her feel “belittled and humiliated” while Cyril Rioli called Kennett’s comments “the final straw” in terms of the club’s handling of Indigenous players and their culture over a number of years.
Rioli retired in 2017,aged only 28,walking away from a significant contract and the prospect of millions of dollars,to return home to Darwin. Like other ex-First Nations players,he would have the option of seeking financial restitution.