‘Enough is enough’: Indigenous AFL star lashes out at racist footy fan who compared him to a chimpanzee
- AFL star Eddie Betts has called out a racist footy fan who sent photo of chimp
- Carlton star shared the tweet on Instagram in hopes of stamping out racism
- It comes as AFL stars took a knee in support of Black Lives Matter movement
Indigenous AFL star Eddie Betts has called out a racist footy fan who used a picture of a chimpanzee while making an online comment about the Carlton forward.
The offensive picture was sent to the Carlton star via Twitter in the lead up to the return of the 2020 season.
The small forward shared the abusive message on Instagram on Sunday to put the spotlight on racism.
‘If at any time anyone is wondering why we work so hard to bring attention to the importance of stamping out racism, this is it,’ he wrote.
‘If ever there was a time where our focus on this needs to continue more than ever, it’s now. We each have a responsibility to ourselves and each other.
‘To continue to listen. To learn. To educate. To ignore it is to be part of the problem, to call it out is to be part of the solution.’
Indigenous AFL star Eddie Betts (pictured with his family) has called out a racist footy fan who sent him a picture of a monkey
The offensive picture was sent to the Carlton star via twitter in the lead up to the return of the game (pictured: Eddie Betts’ Instagram post calling out the footy fan)
Fellow players, models and fans rallied in support of him.
‘This is not good enough! With you brother always, this is weekly and enough is enough,’ replied Hawthorn star Chad Wingard, who has a self-imposed media ban as part of the Black Lives Matter protests.
‘What the f**k is wrong with people, what’s so hard to get ???’ Crows player and former Betts teammate Ben Davis wrote.
Model Megan Gale, whose partner Shaun Hampson was a former teammate of Betts at Carlton also gave her support.
‘Call it out. Name and shame because it is shameful. Anyone who is stupid enough and heartless enough to conduct themselves in such an appalling manner can absolutely suck up the consequences of their actions. We are here for you all’, she wrote.
Betts’ tweet coincided with the resumption of the AFL season over the weekend after the COVID-19 lockdown.
Players at all games took a knee in a show of support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
AFL boss Gillon McLachlan told Sunrise it was an important issue for the players, for the clubs and for the game.
The small forward chose to share the abusive message on Instagram on Sunday in the hopes of stamping out racism (pictured: Eddie Betts’ Instagram post calling out the footy fan)
The tweet comes the same weekend AFL players came together to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement by taking a knee before each game
‘Racism needs to be stamped out,’ he said.
The players issued a statement about the gesture, it said: ‘We stand in solidarity with our indigenous brothers and sisters for all people of colour. There is no place for racism.
‘The knee is an expression of that support, we see strength in diversity, it makes us better as a football club and as a community.
‘We will be there for each other always, especially at a time when many are impacted by what is going on around the world. We will continue to learn and walk this journey together.’
The AFL returned last week after being put on hold for almost three months due to the coronavirus pandemic.