Richmond Tigers players sing their team song after beating the Western Bulldogs. Photo / Screenshot
Richmond Tigers players sing their team song after beating the Western Bulldogs. Photo / Screenshot
The coach of AFL club Richmond was forced to cut his weekly press conference short after being hit with accusations of alleged sexual assault among his players.
It was alleged by reporter Hugh Riminton that Tigers defenders Nick Vlaustin and Jayden Short were involved in the incidents involving teammate Mabior Chol.
Two incidents were allegedly caught on camera in the change rooms, after Richmond's win over Brisbane earlier this week and the previous clash with the Western Bulldogs.
The vision is being circulated on social media, allegedly showing Vlaustin putting his finger up the anus of Chol on the outside of his shorts.
It was alleged the footage also showed Vlaustin grabbing the genitals of Chol three times.
Short allegedly was filmed grabbing Chol's genitals after the game against the Western Bulldogs the following week.
"If this is horseplay, are all premiership players within Richmond expected to tolerate fingers going up their anuses, or is it just the black players?" Riminton asked.
Coach Damien Hardwick didn't answer any of the allegations, and a club spokesman entered the press conference, being done via Zoom, to say the coach and the club had "no knowledge" of the incident.
Richmond Tigers players sing their team song after beating the Western Bulldogs. Photo / Screenshot
No complaints have been made by Chol but some fans have taken issue with the vision.
HOW RICHMOND'S AWKWARD PRESSER PLAYED OUT
Hugh Riminton: "Sadly an off-field matter if you don't mind taking a question on it. Are you aware of what appears to be an indecent assault against one of your players by another one of your players in the rooms, in fact there were two incidents, after the game against Brisbane and the other the week before against the Western Bulldogs, do you have any knowledge of these things?
Damien Hardwick: "No mate. I appreciate your time but let's talk about the game. Thank you.
Riminton: "I'm going to put these questions to you, because I have two criminal lawyers who have said they have looked at this vision and they say there has clearly been a sexual assault taking place. It's a breach of the criminal law at state and Commonwealth level. It's a breach of the AFL code of conduct, the player's code of conduct, of the member's protection policy statement, it is on camera, we have received no complaint from any player, but it's clearly on camera, it has been discussed on social media, and I want to know are you going to take it upon yourself if you haven't already to investigate what appears to be a crime between two of your players?"
Jaimee Damon (Tigers media): "We actually have no knowledge of that, it's the first we've heard about it, so thank you for the question but we have to move on."
Riminton: "So from the coach, the answer is, let's be clear, you have no knowledge of this taking place, even though it's freely on social media, you have no knowledge of this at all?"
Hardwick: "That's correct, thank you and we'll move on."
Riminton: "There will be questions on it at a higher level and, you are aware of them now. If it turns out to be a matter of horseplay, captured on camera is Nick Vlaustin putting his finger up the anus of Mabior Chol, he reacts in a way that plainly indicates he wasn't expecting such an action. He also has his genitals grabbed three times by Vlaustin, after the Bulldogs game he has his genitals grabbed by Jayden Short, the question to you is, if this is horseplay, are all premiership players within Richmond expected to tolerate fingers going up their anuses, or is it just the black players?"
Hardwick: "Thanks for your questions Hugh but we'll move on from that."
