AFL Commission chairman, Richard Goyder, has issued another apology to AFL legend Adam Goodes, labelling the league's failure to support Goodes during the 2015 booing controversy as a "stain on our game."
Goyder issued the apology at last night's Hall of Fame ceremony, which came two months after the Sydney Swans legend declined to accept an induction into the Australian Football Hall of Fame, reported the Herald Sun.
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The 372-game champion was driven out of the game six years ago following a spate of racist booing throughout the 2015 AFL season.
The AFL, however, took until 2019 to apologise to Goodes directly for not supporting him during the traumatic period.
The Commission chair lauded the dual Brownlow medallist's impact on the game, stating that Goodes had been a unanimous selection into the Hall of Fame before the invitation was turned down.
"Adam Goodes is one of the greatest players in our game's history, and has given our game more than it could ever return to him with his service on and off the ground," Goyder said.
"The conclusion to his AFL career with the Sydney Swans was an incredibly difficult period that caused great hurt for Adam, and the subsequent time it took for the game to recognise and apologise for this hurt also had a very significant impact."
"Our failure to stand with him at the time it was happening and call out what was happening was a stain for our game."
"We wish only the best for Adam as a husband and father, and leader within our community."
Goyder then doubled down on the league's failure to support the Swans superstar.
"The unreserved apology that the game provided him in 2019 was too late, but, on behalf of our Commission and the AFL, I apologise unreservedly, again, for our failures during this period," the chairman said.
"Failure to call out racism and not standing up for Adam let down all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players, past and present."
"We hope that there will be a time in the future when Adam will want to be connected to the game again."
"This is a decision for Adam - and Adam only - and we understand, and respect his choice."
When Goodes informed the AFL of his decision, Goyder stated that he did not go into depth about the reasons behind the choice, but claimed that "he did not want his decision to detract from the moment of the 2021 inductees."
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The inductees from the night included West Coast and Carlton superstar Chris Judd, Perth and Richmond legend Robert Wiley, WVFL great - the Hall's first female entrant - Debbie Lee, and St Kilda 323-game great, Nathan Burke.
Perth legend, Merv McIntosh, and South Australian icon, Jack Oatey, were elevated to Legend status in the Hall of Fame.
