Racism row after cannibals comment

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Australian sport has been hit by a racism row for the second time in as many weeks after a prominent Australian Rules football personality referred to indigenous players as “cannibals.”

Well-known West Australian coach and former top-flight player Mal Brown sparked racism claims Wednesday with purportedly light-hearted comments made he was a guest speaker at a football luncheon on Wednesday.

Brown joked that he had been unable to pick indigenous Aboriginal players in West Australian teams because of poor lighting at stadiums.

Last week, Australian rugby league great Andrew Johns resigned as assistant coach of the New South Wales state of origin team after allegedly making racist comments about a Queensland players.

Johns' comments, which referred to Queensland players of Aboriginal or Polynesian heritage, prompted center Timana Tahu – who has mixed Aboriginal and Maori parentage – to quit the New South Wales team. Tahu said later he had walked out of the New South Wales training camp both to protest and to highlight racism within rugby league.

Brown stirred a further racism row with his comments to a luncheon in Melbourne celebrating 15 years of Australian Rules Legends matches.

“We had a distinct disadvantage, the West Australians, because the Victorians picked both sides,” Brown said. “They cheated, they picked the best players. And because there were no lights, I couldn't pick any of the cannibals. ... all the good black fellows, we couldn't pick them because they couldn't see them in the light.”

Brown later said his comments “weren't as funny as I thought.” He said he had attempted to reflect the mood of Australian Football 15 years ago when words such as cannibal were used as “terms of endearment.”

“There was never any racism, or they were treated worse than anybody else. They were treated exactly the same as everybody else by me because they were given a fair go,” Brown said.

Brown said although his comments had been made in jest “sensitive people told me it wasn't humorous ... and I accept that.

“I'm not a racist, I've helped Aboriginal boys and grown up with them all my life.

Australian Football League boss Andrew Demetriou earlier condemned Brown's comments.

“I think the football population in general, our fans, would share my disgust because they know very clearly what our views are in this area, not just the views of the football community but the views of Australia,” Demetriou said.