sport news Jeff Kennett claims Hawthorn are NOT in the midst of a crisis trends now Are you sure, Jeff? Outgoing Hawks president Kennett claims the AFL club are NOT in the midst of a crisis despite deeply concerning claims about treatment of First Nations players Jeff Kennett has defiantly claimed there is no crisis at Hawthorn Football Club A club report is said to contain allegations about treatment of Indigenous stars Despite the explosive claims, Kennett says the club is not in a 'crisis' He also believes First Nations players should not have spoken to the press By Ollie Lewis For Daily Mail Australia Published: 14:05 BST, 1 October 2022 | Updated: 14:05 BST, 1 October 2022 Outgoing Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett hopes there can be a resolution to the AFL club's incendiary racism report by the end of the year. Speaking at the club's best and fairest awards night, Kennett said the club is not in crisis and has described the issue as a 'bump along the highway'. But he told the audience he was 'somewhat flabbergasted - and worse' when he read the draft report of the club's investigation into the experiences of Indigenous players and their partners while at Hawthorn. Jeff Kennett has defiantly claimed that Hawthorn are not in the midst of a crisis That report was handed to the AFL, which will establish a four-person panel to look at the allegations. The racism claims were revealed last week, with four-time Hawks premiership coach Alastair Clarkson, his then-assistant Chris Fagan and ex-Hawthorn welfare manager Jason Burt named in an ABC report detailing historic allegations from some Indigenous Hawthorn players. Clarkson, now at North Melbourne, and Fagan have stood down from their coaching duties, and both deny any wrongdoing. 'I do not consider this to be a crisis,' Kennett said. 'Hawthorn value our employees ... equally and we are always trying to improve the support and services that we give our employees. Explosive allegations pertaining to Alastair Clarkson's treatment of First Nations players has emerged. Clarkson denies the claims made against him 'When I read the draft report ... I was somewhat flabbergasted - and worse. 'It wasn't a good read. I hope this matter can be resolved quickly by all parties involved.' Kennett said the people interviewed for the report had requested confidentiality and Hawthorn respected that. 'Sadly, they made a decision to talk to the press ... they named people with whom they had very real issues,' he said. 'That was unfair to those (people), so therefore we need to have this resolved. 'I don't see this is as a crisis - I know this club, I know its history and I know its strength. 'We will deal with this and assist in any way we can.' Kennett also said the issues were historic and called on any Hawthorn employees to tell the club at the time if they believe inappropriate behaviour has happened. 'The one thing the investigation showed was that we have a safe cultural workplace now. So these are issues of the past,' he said. He hopes there can be some form of mediation so any issues can be resolved quickly. Outgoing Hawthorn president Kennett, though, is adamant that there is no crisis 'It could be resolved before the end of the year so people can get on with their lives,' he said. 'We will never, ever apologise for doing what is necessary to put the welfare of our employees first. 'This has come as a shock. Something good will come of this.' At the end of his speech, Kennett again insisted the Hawks would 'overcome' the issue. 'Understand this as being a bump along the highway, but ... it is an important bump and it has to be dealt with professionally,' he said. 'I will not accept the fact that we as a club cannot overcome this latest issue. 'We have the people, we have the desire and we have that indelible ingredient which is togetherness.' Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility