Ex-AFL star had urine thrown on him, joins long list of Indigenous players who endured racist taunts

Ex-AFL player Michael McLean is the latest Indigenous player to detail shocking examples of racial abuse he suffered on and off the field.

McLean, a two-time club champion at Brisbane and member of the AFL Northern Territory (AFLNT) hall of fame, grew up in Darwin before making the move to Melbourne to play with the Bulldogs in the early 1980s.

He then continued his career with the now-defunct Brisbane Bears and played 183 games between both clubs.   

McLean has since had a successful coaching career in the AFLNT and has now opened up about the abuse he attracted after he arrived in Melbourne. 

‘On the ground it was horrible, horrible. Every week racially taunted, urine thrown at you. B**ng, a*o, c**n, should’ve hanged the lot of you – they’d say all that sort of s***,’ McLean told the Herald Sun.

The skilful midfielder was part of an incredibly talented group of Indigenous footballers who regularly suffered from, and called out, horrific racism during the 1980s and 1990s, including Michael Long, Jimmy Krakouer, Nicky Winmar and Maurice Rioli.

Every time one of those footballers would go through mediation after yet another racist taunt, a similar situation would happen again – behaviour was not changing on or off the field.

Enough was enough for McLean. 

Gilbert McAdam, Michael McLean, Michael Long, Che Cockatoo-Collins and Ross Oakley at an Essendon Bombers Indigenous discussion panel

When he made it known he would name and shame racist players, the AFL responded with the creation of Rule 35, which is essentially the league’s vilification rule and framework.   

‘I had players say to me yada yada yada … and I’m like, ‘Mate, are you right? You’ve got Indigenous blokes playing for you. You’re a f****** dog mate’,’ said McLean in the report.

‘They’re like, ‘Hey, if it’s happening to our blokes, why not you?’ I said, ‘OK, you’ll see your name in the paper next week’ and that’s when it all started.’

McLean is unfortunately just one in a long line of former and current AFL footballers who have detailed their experiences with racism in the game.

Hawthorn star Cyril Rioli recently opened up about the racist treatment he and wife Shannyn faced

Three-time premiership Hawk Cyril Rioli recently opened up about his (and wife Shannyn Ah Sam-Rioli’s) experiences with racism at Hawthorn, which eventually led to him retiring prematurely from the game. 

‘I’ve never really spoken about what happened in Tassie, but I think there was a lot of gaslighting at the end of my career by the club,’ he told The Age earlier this year.

‘But bloody oath it was hard sometimes. Some things that happened to my teammates. The comments by coaches about the blackfellas all sitting together.’

Ex Blues and Crows star Eddie Betts said he endured racial abuse throughout his entire career

Chris Lewis and Adam Goodes are other stars who made the decision to retire early because of racism. 

Eddie Betts recently revealed he was racially abused his entire career, while former Eagle Chris Lewis said entire bays would boo him at stadiums.

According to the AFL, 11 per cent of people on club lists are Indigenous, with over 100,000 Indigenous participants in the sport across the country.