St Kilda coach Ross Lyon was left so shaken by a comment he made at training that he offered to consider stepping down because several Indigenous players were left upset by the remark.
Lyon used the term ‘brotherboy’ during a training drill to describe St Kilda’s Indigenous players, including veteran Bradley Hill and $2million superstar Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera.
While the Saints coach likely meant the term to describe their connection within the team, ‘brotherboy’ has a very different meaning in Indigenous culture.
A Brotherboy is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person assigned female at birth who identifies and lives as male, often within cultural male roles.
The term is used within Indigenous communities to recognise and affirm gender-diverse identities.
In the moment, Lyon thought the comment was an off-the-cuff observation.
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon fronted the media on Tuesday (pictured) to apologise for the comment he made about Indigenous players
Lyon received the support of First Nations players at both St Kilda and his former club Fremantle (pictured)
Dockers star Michael Walters went into bat for his former coach on social media
‘I love the brotherboy connection, but we all have to remember we are part of a bigger team here,’ Lyon said during the drill.
However, the comment did not sit well with some players as the moment quickly escalated into a serious internal discussion.
According to veteran journalist Caroline Wilson, Hill contacted Lyon the following night to ‘communicate his displeasure’ after reflecting on the incident.
Lyon, who had reportedly been uneasy since the moment occurred, then agreed to meet with players during the club’s bye week.
The group gathered at the club, where the situation was addressed directly and Lyon even offered to tender his resignation.
During that meeting, Lyon became emotional and acknowledged he had misjudged the situation.
‘I’m not here to justify or try to rationalise what I said. We are all only as good as our next moment and it was a moment I understand I misjudged,’ Lyon said.
‘Was I being flippant? Could it be described as casual racism? I learned a lot out of what happened.
Saints’ $2million star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera was reportedly upset by the comment at first
Bradley Hill hit (pictured bottom) back at media reports and said that Lyon had the full support of St Kilda’s Indigenous players
‘It didn’t land where it should have landed and I have to wear that, and I take full responsibility for what I said.
‘I was very emotional at the meeting, and I offered to consider my position.’
Players expressed their concerns directly, with Hill reportedly making a key point during his conversation with Lyon.
‘He wouldn’t have said that if it was three white players, so you shouldn’t have said it to us,’ Hill told the coach.
The meeting itself was described as emotional, with players and coaching staff speaking openly about the impact of the comment.
‘My understanding is that Bradley Hill and all of his teammates, including Nasiah, who were not happy, were satisfied and absolutely accepted that Ross had said the wrong thing, but in no way meant to be racist,’ Wilson said.
‘Now, I can tell you that everyone got a bit emotional at this meeting. The players and Ross all hugged.’
The players have since come out and shared a happy image of Lyon with Hill and Wanganeen-Milera, Hill captioning the photo: ‘Sorry Caro but we love Ross.’
Liam Ryan joined St Kilda this season and also posted a message of support for his new coach
That post was shared by Wanganeen-Milera, fellow St Kilda Indigenous star Liam Ryan and Fremantle’s Michael Walters, who also played under Lyon.
‘Ross loves the Indigenous culture. He’s more open to learn than any of you,’ Walters posted.
Footy fans were quick to back Lyon as well, and chalk the incident up as a learning moment.
‘Sounds like Ross made a stupid goof, the boys came together and worked it out like normal people do, the end,’ one posted on Reddit.
‘When you talk to people 30+ hours a week for a living you’re eventually going to say stuff that rubs them wrong. They voiced their issue, he apologised and took their perspective on board,’ added another.
‘The Walters comment is a great one. Mistakes can be made but it’s really the openness to learn that defines whether someone is racist or not,’ another said.
Lyon has a long-standing history of working with Indigenous players, particularly during his time at Fremantle, and was said to be deeply affected by the situation.
‘There is no doubt he has a very good track record, Ross Lyon with Indigenous football,’ she said.
‘He’s almost relieved that we’re going to report it because he believes the truth in some weird way will set him free.
‘He doesn’t think he’s racist and he certainly was horrified at how much he had hurt those players.
‘He offered to address the entire playing group after the initial meeting. But the players at that meeting said that that wouldn’t be necessary. And they are absolutely insistent that they have moved on.’
St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt said he was not ‘surprised’ Lyon considered his position given his strong ties with Indigenous players, but questioned whether it could impact Wanganeen-Milera’s future, with the star midfielder out of contract next year.
‘My understanding is that Nasiah wasn’t happy with the comments. My understanding is that Nasiah accepted Ross’ apology, along with the other players and they hugged it out and that’s the end of it,’ Wilson said.
‘It’s worth pointing out, and please don’t think I’m being flippant, but Nasiah was unbelievable the other night … he played very well in Gather Round, and St Kilda have had a pretty good run since that incident.
‘I’m not trying to correlate something so serious with footy, but Nasiah is certainly playing well over the last few weeks.’
The Saints coach is expected to speak further this week as the club prepares for its upcoming match against Carlton, with players indicating the issue has been resolved following the internal discussions.
