The AFL Integrity Unit has commenced an investigation into reports that young Bulldogs forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan was racially abused by an unidentified St Kilda supporter during his side's shock loss at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.
The league, in conjunction with the Western Bulldogs and St Kilda Football Clubs, commenced its inquiry after being alerted to the claims prior to the end of the weekend.
St Kilda's efforts to identify the perpetrator are likely to be given a leg up, with News Corp reporting that the club was alerted to the alleged hate crime by other patrons in the vicinity.
Said reports have also stated that Ugle-Hagan, 20, was the victim of further racial abuse on social media following the Bulldogs' 51-point loss.
Speaking via a club statement released on Sunday, Dogs CEO Ameet Bains condemned the attack on the Indigenous forward as โhorrific on every levelโ.
Within their own statement, the Saints stated that they took the claims "incredibly seriously" and that their organisation "condemns vilification of any kind."
The league echoed these sentiments, professing that the rising spearhead deserved none of the vitriol received.
"Jamarra Ugle-Hagan is a young 20-year-old player trying to forge a career as an AFL footballer. An impressive young man in which part of his pride and strength comes from his family. We stand with his family in calling out the racist comments, comments that cause significant hurt and harm for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people," the AFL's statement read.
Raised as one of five children in the Framlingham Community outside of Warrnambool, Ugle-Hagan is said to have been left deeply upset at being targetted by such abuse.
Heartbreakingly, the forward is not the first to have felt similar hatred from the stands, with past superstars Nicky Winmar, Michael Long, Chris Lewis, Adam Goodes, Michael McLean, Syd Jackson, Eddie Betts and Sir Doug Nicholls all having spoken of the abuse they received during their glittering careers.
Ugle-Hagan became just the second Indigenous player to be selected with the first overall draft pick in 2020, following in the footsteps of proud Noongar and Yamatji man Des Headland who made his way to Brisbane after the 1998 AFL Draft.
