Melbourne CEO Gary Pert has spoken out about the club’s current off-field issues, defending coach Simon Goodwin from “false rumours” and explaining the handling of Clayton Oliver.
“I wish to address the three years of allegations and innuendo suffered by Simon Goodwin, which are completely without basis or truth. I personally investigated the matter and did so by methodically interviewing every person that I was aware of who had spread the initial rumours. All admitted there was no basis to the claims but were simply passing on what they had heard from others,” he said.
Separate to this, it is important to also put to an end, once and for all, the false rumours that have been circling for three years in the media about our AFL Senior Coach Simon Goodwin. In some ways, AFL football programs are akin to a large family. While honest feedback is often difficult, this approach will give Clayton the best chance to thrive within our high-performance environment, and the best chance for him to have a long career at the Melbourne Football Club.Supporters are aware that Joel is currently under investigation by Sport Integrity Australia and the AFL. During this time, he is provisionally suspended from any involvement with the Club.
The ongoing embellishment and spreading of untrue rumours have placed an enormous stress and mental toll on Simon and his family over the last three years.There has been a lot of talk about our high-performance culture from people external to the Club.