St Kilda veteran Bradley Hill has opened up on the 'uncomfortable' and 'emotional' conversation he had with Ross Lyon after the coach made an inappropriate remark at training.
Two weeks ago, Channel 7's Caroline Wilson revealed Lyon offered to consider his position as coach after making a comment at training about three Indigenous players. During a training drill, three Indigenous players linked up and Lyon said, 'I love the Brotherboy connection but we all have to remember we are part of a bigger team here.'
Hill personally rang Lyon the day after the incident and expressed his feelings before having an in-person chat with other Indigenous players back at the club. Hill and Lyon have a close relationship. The group hugged it all out and moved on. Lyon accepted what he said was inappropriate and the players accepted the coach's sincere apology.
Speaking to Hamish McLachlan on this week's episode of Unfiltered, Hill explained how it all went down.
'Yeah definitely uncomfortable at first, I guess. The way it happened, I was probably a little bit flat about how it was said, especially in front of the group, and as Ross knows we've had that chat about it,' Hill said.
'I rang Ross up and I thought I needed to bring this up and to have a conversation, a little bit about educating him and also I thought that wasn't the right way to do it.
'As Ross says as well, the standards you walk past are the standards you accept and I thought I didn't accept that and I thought, yeah, I've got to go up to him and have a chat to him and say this is how I wouldn't like to be spoken to and it was definitely a little bit difficult.
'Even the other boys, I made sure they came up with me and they were definitely a little bit nervous to go up there. Because I got such a good relationship with Ross, it wasn't too bad to walk in there and I knew he was emotional about it because I had a conversation with him on the Saturday night before we went in there on the Monday.
'And, you know, the conversation on the Saturday was, there's a little bit of emotion there and this shows how much we both care, you know, about the Indigenous boys and also I think he heard me getting emotional and that sort of got him as well.
'Then, yeah, on the Monday we came in and, you know, sat down and Ross was obviously very devastated about what had played out and it was more so we had an adult conversation about it and this is what we sort of didn't accept and we thought, you know, you could have used the different terms or you could have handled it in a better way and, you know, he accepted it.
'We all had a big hug, there's a little bit of tears going around and I've got so much respect for Ross and he's had probably the biggest impact on my career and my life as well outside of footy.
'I love him and he's done so much for us and what he does for all the Indigenous boys whenever we have something on and we need to get back home, he gives the boys as much time as they need.'
Hill also said there is 'no way' he could have had that conversation when he first started in the AFL.
'I think even back when I first started, like, it was completely different, the footy environment, you didn't really speak up too much as, you had your guys up the top and, you know, they led the footy clubs,' he said.
'I definitely would have, probably not even five years ago when I first got here, I definitely wouldn't say anything but I think the relationship I do have with Ross makes it easier to go up and chat to him.
'And as I've gotten older too and there's so many young Indigenous boys here, I feel like I have to be, you know, the one that stands up for them, the voice, I've got to support them and that's how I see myself in my role here as well.
'Obviously, I've still got to go out there on the weekend and play but, I'll make sure that these boys are supported and they've got everything they need to make it easy for them to rock up to training, to play good and just, you know, create a safe environment for them.'
