Emerging Sydney Swans player Elijah Taylor has taken to Instagram to call out the vile racist messages he has received this week, days ahead of the AFL’s annual Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round this weekend.
The 19-year-old has been banned for the rest of the season after he breached the strict COVID-19 rules for AFL players in the Western Australian hub. His actions cost the Sydney club $50k, half of which will come out of their 2021 salary cap.
Elijah shared one of the messages, which was sent to him via Instagram DM, noting that he recognised that people would be upset by his hub breach, but cemented that “racism really doesn’t fix anything”.
The Sydney Swans also shared the message sent to Elijah, supporting the young Indigenous player and solidifying their stance against racism in all forms.
Elijah made a bad decision & he now has to deal with the consequences.
He should not be the subject of abuse. There is NO place for racism.
This week is about celebrating the indigenous players in our game. It shouldn’t be about this.
Enough is enough. It must stop. pic.twitter.com/lYk9AQkZE2
— Sydney Swans (@sydneyswans) August 18, 2020
Swans club leaders Andrew Pridham and Tom Harley made a further statement about the racial abuse hurled at Elijah after his banning and the club’s fine, confirming the AFL’s Integrity Unit is launching a full investigation into this recent spate of hate speech.
“As a club and code we need to take a very strong stance on this,” Andrew said.
“We welcome the strongest possible action being taken should the author of the offending post be identified.
“Elijah made a significant mistake and he knows it. We must now move forward. The comments directed at him are ugly and whoever is responsible should be ashamed.
“No Indigenous person – no person full stop – deserves that. It must be called out and people must understand the impact of their actions.”
Coach John Longmire told AFL.com.au that the club is currently doing all that they can to support Elijah, while also making sure he understands the gravity of the COVID-19 breach.
“We’re just mindful the balance between obviously making him accountable and him understanding the gravity of the situation versus the support,” he said.
“We’re trying to tread that line very carefully.”
Sydney Swans are set to play Fremantle Dockers at Optus Stadium on Saturday night, as part of the annual Indigenous round.
