Alastair Clarkson breaks his silence on Hawthorn allegations

Alastair Clarkson has refuted allegations regarding his conduct at Hawthorn after North Melbourne confirmed their new coach’s start time at the club would be delayed during an AFL investigation.

Clarkson, 54, along with Brisbane coach Chris Fagan, have been the subject of accusations over their dealings with several Indigenous players and their families during their time at Hawthorn.

An ABC Sport report alleges that the review, commissioned by Hawthorn, contains allegations involving Clarkson demanding that a player advise his partner to terminate their pregnancy and end their relationship.

And now Clarkson has made his first statement in the wake of the allegations, insisting he was “shocked” by the allegations against him and refuting them.

“The health, care and wellbeing of our players, staff and their families have always been my top priorities during my time at Hawthorn Football Club,” said Clarkson.

“I was therefore shocked by the extremely serious allegations that appeared in the media earlier today. I have not been interviewed by the authors of the report on behalf of the club, nor have I received a copy of the report.

“I was not given a fair trial and I am refuting any allegation of wrongdoing or misconduct and look forward to the opportunity to be heard as part of the AFL’s outside investigation.

“I have contacted the chairman of North Melbourne Football Club today and we have mutually agreed that I will relinquish my responsibilities at the club so that I can fully cooperate with the investigation.”

North Melbourne previously confirmed that Clarkson’s start date at the club – previously scheduled for November 1 – has been postponed.

“The North Melbourne Football Club is aware of serious historic allegations against individuals who worked at the Hawthorn Football Club, including new North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson,” the statement said.

“The matters raised are now with the AFL’s Integrity Unit and Alastair welcomes the opportunity to participate in any investigation regarding the claims.

Alastair was due to start North Melbourne on November 1, but he will delay the start of his term to allow time to participate fully in the investigation.

“As the matters raised are confidential and the investigation is still ongoing, the club will not comment further at this time.”

North’s statement follows an announcement by Brisbane that Fagan is taking ‘leave’ from the club so that he can ‘cooperate fully’ in an independent investigation announced by the AFL.

Fagan is devastated by the allegations and said he had no knowledge of the alleged encounters put forward by players in the report, according to the Herald Sun.

A Hawks player named only as “Ian” in the ABC report made startling allegations against the team’s senior coaches.

“Clarkson just bent over me and demanded that I get rid of my unborn child and partner,” he claimed.

“I was then manipulated and convinced to remove my SIM card from my phone so that there was no contact between my family and me.

“He told me to kill my unborn child.”

It is said that Ian’s partner Amy was in deep shock when she heard the news.

“He could barely pronounce the words and he seemed to be crying, and he was quick to tell us to end the pregnancy and end the relationship,” she said in the report.

Amy went on to claim that the club cut her off from Ian for the first five months of her pregnancy — preventing her from calling or texting him — which impacted his mental health.