Heritier Lumumba ENDS his long-running racism battle with Collingwood

Heritier Lumumba ENDS his long-running racism battle with Collingwood as former AFL star says he is ‘closing this chapter’ after ugly feud with ex-coach Nathan Buckley

  • Heritier Lumumba says his long-running racism battle with Collingwood is over 
  • The ex-Pies player has accused his old club of mismanagement around racism
  • Earlier this month, he released audio of a heated talk with coach Nathan Buckley 
  • He now says he is ‘closing this chapter’ and focusing on the arrival of his child

Collingwood premiership player Heritier Lumumba has posted more secret recordings of talks with ex-Magpies coach Nathan Buckley as he says he’s walking away from his long-running battle with the club over racism issues.

Lumumba has been in dispute with his former AFL club for a number of years, particularly ex-Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley.

The 35-year-old has been consistently vocal in his disapproval of management at the Magpies, even following the release of the club’s ‘Do Better’ report last year.

In the last week, Lumumba released audio of heated conversations he had with Buckley back in 2014.

But Lumumba, who retired from the AFL in 2016 after two seasons with Melbourne, claims he is ‘closing this chapter and releasing the burden’.

‘It brings me a great sense of peace & fulfilment to close this chapter & confidently walk away having taken this issue as far as it has gone,’ he tweeted on Wednesday.

Heritier Lumumba has announced that his battle with former club Collingwood is over

‘Throughout the years, there has only ever been one mission: to tell & defend my truth.

‘The evidence released has only been because individuals have continually undermined the severity of the harm I experienced during my time at CFC, as well as the findings of the ‘Do Better’ report.

‘I always reserve the right to defend myself, especially after working so hard to overcome being…discredited.

‘They will now have to bear the burden of what they tried to deny all these years, and face the reality that they were unable to rectify.

Lumumba has been involved in an ugly feud with Collingwood over mismanagement around racism at the club (pictured: former club president Eddie McGuire)

Lumumba has been involved in an ugly feud with Collingwood over mismanagement around racism at the club (pictured: former club president Eddie McGuire)

Earlier this month, Lumumba released audio of a heated talk with ex-coach Nathan Buckley

Earlier this month, Lumumba released audio of a heated talk with ex-coach Nathan Buckley

‘I’d like to take the opportunity to thank all the people who have supported me over the years, particularly Collingwood fans.’

Buckley last week challenged Lumumba via a social media post to ‘put a full and uncut version of our conversations on public record so as to provide context to our conversations’.

Parts of the audio appeared to verify Lumumba’s claim that Buckley accused him of throwing Eddie McGuire ‘under a bus’ when he publicly questioned the then-Collingwood president’s infamous King Kong gaffe.

Now he says the feud is over and he is focusing on the arrival of his newborn child

Now he says the feud is over and he is focusing on the arrival of his newborn child

During one of his regular segments on SEN, Buckley said he was unsure what Lumumba wanted to happen apart from ‘heads rolling’.

‘I am happy to engage with the club however they wish, but Heritier hasn’t been satisfied with that and that’s why we are where we’re at,’ Buckley said last week.

‘There are other versions of the truth that are a long way away from the way he perceives it.’

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