DEEP HURT EXPOSED

THERE are no winners in the ugly conflict being played out on social media between a former beloved AFL coach and one of his former players. Heritier Lumumba’s clear dissatisfaction with the Collingwood Football Club’s process of addressing its history of systemic racism resulted in a new low on Tuesday night when the former footballer released audio on Twitter of historic conversations between himself and former coach Nathan Buckley. A rapt public watched on as Buckley responded to the allegations in Twitter posts of his own.

It was the public airing of longfermenting resentment, fuelled by frustration.

This kind of tit for tat posting of dirty laundry on social media should and could have been avoided years ago when Lumumba first flagged concerns with racial and cultural insensitivities at Collingwood – issues the club’s own Do Better report acknowledged in 2021.

Had long-serving club president Eddie McGuire been forced to stand down – or at the very least publicly sanctioned – by either the club or the AFL after his 2013 radio gaffe about Adam Goodes, perhaps there would have been more confidence in the club’s desire to improve.

Had Lumumba felt heard at the time, and not allowed to be moved on from the club, perhaps the action now undertaken in the wake of Do Better could have started sooner.

Had there been any sort of meaningful leadership shown on important issues of race and inclusivity, perhaps the kind of resentment shown through those Twitter posts would have already made way to allow for healing.

This lack of action over many years has created a significant depth of hurt. We need to listen and understand if we are to truly do better moving forward.