The Collingwood Football Club has taken aim at its former head of First Nations strategy, declaring his allegations of racism against club chief executive Craig Kelly are “embarrassing” and “objectionable”.
The Magpies lodged their response in the Federal Circuit and Family Court on Friday, strongly defending Kelly after Mark Cleaver, the club’s former head of First Nations programs, accused him in court documents last month of making slurs and jokes about Indigenous culture during their time working together between February and when Cleaver’s employment was terminated in May this year.
Collingwood Football Club chief executive Craig Kelly.Credit: AAP
The Magpies deny all 11 complaints lodged by Cleaver, including that there was unlawful discrimination and that he was bullied, and have called for the case to be struck out.
In court documents, Cleaver alleges the club breached several laws, including the discrimination acts involving equal …