{"id":652910,"date":"2026-05-06T08:23:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T08:23:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/652910\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T08:23:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T08:23:09","slug":"from-the-pocket-uncomfortable-questions-have-rightly-been-asked-of-carlton-their-response-doesnt-cut-it-afl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/652910\/","title":{"rendered":"From the Pocket: uncomfortable questions have rightly been asked of Carlton \u2013 their response doesn\u2019t cut it | AFL"},"content":{"rendered":"

What stood out in both the AFL and Carlton\u2019s statements<\/a> regarding what happened to Elijah Hollands at the MCG three weeks ago<\/a> were the things that weren\u2019t and couldn\u2019t be said. There were legal restrictions. There was medical confidentiality. There was a WorkSafe investigation. There was a universal acceptance that the privacy and wellbeing of the young man at the centre of all this was the most important thing.<\/p>\n

The AFL did what they usually do in matters of the utmost complexity \u2013 they issued a fine. In fact, it was more of a donation. How much of a dent $75,000 makes in Carlton\u2019s hip pocket is not for me to say, though a club whose four pokie venues raked in nearly $20m<\/a> in the last financial year can probably afford it. The AFL also announced a series of measures to ensure this never happens again \u2013 mandated club phycologists, stronger industry healthcare governance standards, and a \u201cmental health media roundtable\u201d, which itself probably warrants a separate column.<\/p>\n

Carlton, the AFL found, had \u201cbrought the game into disrepute\u201d. The term often boils down to \u201cit\u2019s not a good look\u201d. We could apply it to all sorts of issues in and around the sport \u2013 from umpires and All-Australian selectors also working for bookies, to King\u2019s Counsels concluding that using a homophobic slur is all fair in love and war<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to blame the AFL for everything that is wrong with the sport. I am more interested in Carlton\u2019s role in all this<\/a>. The club\u2019s chief executive, Graham Wright, said in a statement<\/a> on Tuesday: \u201cWe accept the outcome in the interest of enabling all parties to move forward, while continuing to ensure the health and wellbeing of our people remains a priority.\u201d In other words, we\u2019ll cop the fine, but not the finding.<\/p>\n

This is consistent with their message all along, from the moment Michael Voss walked into his press conference after the Collingwood game, to Wright\u2019s less than convincing statement a few days later, to Voss\u2019 far more combative press conference later that week<\/a>. It was here that the Carlton coach shifted the focus back on to the media, and to coverage he said was \u201cbordering on bullying\u201d. He concluded with a statement and a question. \u201cMaybe there\u2019s a few here that have struggled with some mental health \u2026 maybe it\u2019s been a family member, maybe it\u2019s been a friend,\u201d he said. \u201cAll I just ask is: what would you want?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Voss and Carlton have been unable to find the right words to explain what happened when Hollands took the field against Collingwood.\u2019 Photograph: Rob Prezioso\/AAP<\/p>\n

Anyone pondering the question may have answered the following way. We would want our loved ones to be left alone. We would want the club to provide care and compassion in the aftermath of his episode, which they undoubtedly have. But we would also want answers from you \u2013 as a coach and as a club \u2013 as to why you didn\u2019t protect him when he was at his most vulnerable. That is at the heart of all the columns, all the radio slots and all the questions. That isn\u2019t bullying. After all, it wasn\u2019t just the media who were demanding answers. It was Carlton supporters and fans of the other 17 clubs. It was an issue closely followed by people who aren\u2019t even sports fans. All wanted to know the same things<\/a> \u2013 what did you see, and what did you do about it?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s therefore only right that uncomfortable questions have been asked of Carlton\u2019s senior leaders. These men aren\u2019t novices. These men shouldn\u2019t need \u201cexpanded mental health literacy training\u201d. The president is the former head of an investment bank with billions in assets. Wright and the general manager of football have been in the top echelon of the game for decades. Voss became a senior coach in 2009. The club doctor has extensive experience across Olympic and team sports.<\/p>\n

All of us are aware of the legal and ethical roadblocks to getting full answers. The incident was never as cut and dry as the phone footage suggested. It was never going to be a case of \u201cinvestigate, punish, enact change and move on\u201d. And no one is calling for individual heads on a stick. But a modicum of contrition is not too much to demand. To call it bullying is a cop out. Carlton is a colossus. It cannot play the victim here.<\/p>\n

In management speak, there are words and phrases that are often wheeled out in times of great pressure. \u201cWe\u2019ll lean into it,\u201d and \u201cWe\u2019ll own it,\u201d are common ones, and we often hear them from Voss after losses<\/a>. But Carlton have been unable to find the right words to explain what happened when Hollands took the field against Collingwood. \u201cWe accept the outcome in the interest of enabling all parties to move forward,\u201d doesn\u2019t cut it. Nor does sheeting blame back on to the people demanding answers \u2013 yet another unsatisfactory response to the most unsettling of incidents.<\/p>\n

In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue<\/a> on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline<\/a> on 13 11 14, and at MensLine<\/a> on 1300 789 978. In the UK, the charity Mind<\/a> is available on 0300 123 3393 and Childline<\/a> on 0800 1111. In the US, call or text Mental Health America<\/a> at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What stood out in both the AFL and Carlton\u2019s statements regarding what happened to Elijah Hollands at the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":617461,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-652910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=652910"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652910\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/617461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=652910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=652910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=652910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}