The Australian Football League's longest serving chairman, former Sydney Chair Richard Colless, said that "he feels ashamed of the sport he helped lead for two decades and has lamented football's delayed response to the vilification of Adam Goodes, which he has described as a stain on the game," according to Samantha Lane of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Colless -- who finished at the Swans at the end of '13 -- said that after observing the taunting of Goodes all season he "could at times weep for the unfairness of it." While he said that "his point was not to lay blame, Colless tabled regret that the AFL did not make stronger statements on the issue earlier this year when it seemed obvious to him that the booing of Goodes was a train wreck in the making." He said, "I'm ashamed of my sport, and I'm devastated by the lack of humanity in this country. ... I don't blame the AFL. I'm not suggesting the AFL started this. But to me the ultimate moral authority in our game is the governing body. And what I believe should have happened quite some time ago was that the [AFL Commission] chairman -- the person with the ultimate status -- should have said something to the effect of: 'We're better than this. This is one of our greatest players, finishing his career, and we celebrate champions in this sport, what about now showing some respect?'" (SMH, 7/30). In Sydney, David Sygall wrote the "rose-coloured view of history" shows that former rugby player Nicky Winmar's stance against racism in '93 "was received respectfully and considerately and sparked positive change in football and society." The truth "is something else." Swans CEO Andrew Ireland said, "Winmar was booed regularly after doing it because he confronted Australia." So "it will" with Goodes. In 20-odd years, "long after the justifications for the taunts he has endured have been forgotten, Goodes will be recognised as an athlete who knocked the nation out of its comfort zone of ignorance and bigotry." Ireland said, "Our short-term concern is for Adam's welfare and his ability to come back to footy. But then there are the broader issues. What I hope -- and many people hope -- is that the pain Adam is going through isn't wasted and it actually makes Australia a better country" (SMH, 7/30).
