Carlton football club is coming under fire for its handing of a mental health issue, with comedian Dave Hughes joining a growing list coming out and voicing their condemnation of the club\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n
During his worrying performance against Collingwood on Thursday night, Elijah Hollands was reportedly suffering from a mental health episode and not under the influence of drugs, as per the club.<\/p>\n
While the AFL community has widely wrapped its arm around the former Gold Coast player as its chief concern, serious questions are now being asked about how and why the incident occurred.<\/p>\n
Comedian and Carlton superfan Dave Hughes took to Instagram on Friday to voice his dissapproval with the club.<\/p>\n
You can watch Dave Hughes\u2019 message in the video above<\/p>\n
\u201cI promised myself I\u2019d be Zen at the MCG last night and I kept that promise,\u201d he said in an Instagram video.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got to the ground at quarter time because of my comedy show COOKED, when I got there my mate said we\u2019ve got a player on the ground who is cooked right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cI said \u2018don\u2019t be ridiculous this is an AFL game there\u2019s 80,000 people here there\u2019s no one out there cooked\u2019. Then I started watching him,\u201d Hughes said with a shake of the head.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo. F*****g. Cooked. There\u2019s a bench, he can sit on that the whole night. Say he\u2019s got a f****n hamstring [injury]. Why leave a player on the ground who everyone can see isn\u2019t right? <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the f**k are you doing leadership people at Carlton? What the f**k? What the f**k are you doing? He didn\u2019t touch the f**king ball! We lost by five points! What the f**k were you doing?!\u201d<\/p>\n
The Carlton midfielder, 23, did not record a disposal despite playing 60 per cent of the match as disturbing footage showed him behaving in an unusual manner at the MCG.<\/p>\n
In the post caption Hughes made it clear he\u2019s not blaming the player \u201cbut the club is f****n COOKED to let that happen\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn my 50 years of playing \/watching country suburban footy I have never seen that. Diabolical leadership from this club,\u201d Hughes wrote.<\/p>\n
Club and AFL fans at large quickly showed out in support of Hughes condemnation in the Instagram post comments.<\/p>\n
Chris DeGiorgio wrote \u201cif Voss was aware and chose to do nothing, then his position is untenable. If he wasn\u2019t aware, that raises even more concerns about his coaching. Either way this is the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fan Philip added: \u201cSpot on Hughesy. As a parent how would you feel if that was your son and the club failed its responsibility of care. <\/p>\n
\u201cTo have these seen by the world the kids mental health would be so difficult for him and his family. The coach is sitting on the bench next to him in the first quarter and didn\u2019t do anything\u201d<\/p>\n
One person said Carlton needed a group of brave individuals \u201cwilling to stand up to the system that allowed Elijah Hollands to take the field\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis issue has gone beyond member and supporter disappointment, anger. It now raises grave concerns about player welfare and safety with this incompetent leadership, management, coaching decision to play Elijah.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael Voss made the only public statement about Hollands\u2019 condition after the game when the Blues coach said Hollands was \u201cshattered\u201d and felt he \u201clet people down\u201d following the five-point loss.<\/p>\n
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