Both the exclusive Sydney private school, Scots College, and the city’s most successful AFL team, the Sydney Swans now share remarkable parallels, but none more telling than how the leaders of both institutions chose to immediately respond following sexual assault allegations.
And none more important than their responsibilities for safety, especially for women and girls.
Sexual assault charges were laid against three boys from Scots College last week, while a sexual assault allegation linked to at least one Sydney Swans player in the early hours of Monday morning is being investigated by Victoria Police.
Both Scots and the Swans represent two of the most critical places where boys learn values: school and a sports club. They showcase success stories and role models, teachers and players that boys and young men look up to. They house cultures that go beyond the sidelines and classroom walls and impact women and girls.
But the leaders of both such institutions also reminded us in their immediate response to separate sexual assault allegations, that they have reputations to protect, first and foremost
At Scots College, where the principal, Dr Ian Lambert, has spoken on podcasts and in leadership forums regarding his ideas around how to educate boys, parents were informed that the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl was an “incident that occurred outside school hours” and were later reassured parents that “your boys are safe” (more on that letter to parentss later on).
On Monday, the Swans CEO Matthew Pavlich described the alleged sexual assault as not only an “alleged incident” but also a disappointing “situation players have found themselves in”.
To be fair, the Swans have taken further action as of this morning, standing down five players for “breaching standards” for the rest of the AFL season. The players include Riley Bice, Nick Blakey, Isaac Heeney, James Jordon and Chad Warner. While none of these players has been arrested or charged, the club’s board made the decision late on Tuesday evening, believing the players were “in serious breach of expected club behaviour and standards”. Palvich also addressed the media after 12pm today, where he shared concerns for the women at the centre of the allegations, the AFLW team and the partners of the players.
Further, in terms of immediate consequences on language, and I bring this one up because he was also responsible for a male-dominated workforce, the CEO of ACFS Port Logistics, Arthur Tzaneros, has resigned from his role with the company following messages he shared in a 100-member WhatsApp Group of Scots old boys. He described the alleged 14-year-old victim as a “willing participant” in messages that were later published in the Sydney Morning Herald.
A full and comprehensive letter from Scotts’ Dr Lambert and Rev Glen Pather, Chairman of the College Council, to the school community published in The Daily Telegraph notes the charges laid, and that “sexual violence is never acceptable” and that it is not for the College to determine what occurred or to presume the guilt of any individual.
They say they respect the legal process and that it must take its course, and that “the alleged incident occurred away from the College and outside school hours.” They said they won’t speculate and that “our commitment is to the safety and welfare of all students in our care, and the College will make appropriate arrangements to uphold that commitment. Your son is safe at school.”
The letter adds that the College has and continues to teach “age-appropriate consent and sexuality education from Kindergarten through to Senior School for at least 15 years.”
The letter does not address the safety of those outside the school, beyond noting that the Christian foundation calls for “each student to treat all people, including women and girls, with respect, to exercise self-control, to accept responsibility for their choices and to care for others.” It goes on to note that these principles “also require us to recognise the profound harm caused by sexual violence and to care for the wellbeing of those who have experienced it.” Reassuring stuff.
The letter concludes by noting “we commit the matter to God in prayer” and calls for the parent community to “join us in praying for all who are affected and for wisdom and compassion in the days ahead.”
The Scots letter was lengthy, even without the call to prayer. But like the Swans’ CEO’s one-minute statement to media on Monday, it left out crucial information.
As Social Services minister Tanya Plibersek put it, “they chose language that was passive and exculpatory”.
“When people in positions of power gloss over allegations of sexual violence, when they’re more focused on their reputations than their responsibilities, it reinforces the culture of disrespect and entitlement that fuels this violence in the first place,” she shared on social media in response to both the imediate reponse from Scots, and the Swans, to sexual assault allegations.
Further, as an all-boys school and an influential sporting club – the leaders of both actually had the opportunity to not just deal with the media crisis they’re facing, but to actually show leadership regarding how seriously they take the matter and demonstrate a response worthy of being a lesson to anyone else with such responsibilities.
“Each had a chance,” Plibersek wrote, “without interfering in the ongoing investigations – to show leadership. To underscore the seriousness of the allegations, express concern for the victims, and reiterate their zero tolerance approach to sexual violence, alleged or otherwise.”
“There are women and girls at the centre of these allegations,” Plibersek continued.
“People with entire lives, rights, feelings, and future of their own.”
These leaders have huge responsibilities not only to prevent such incidents from ever occurring in the first place, but also to deal with them in such a way that recognises that this seriousness goes beyond the reputations of the school or club, and goes to how they can further prevent harm against women and girls in the future.
These leaders must also be willing to face stakeholders when serious allegations and breaches of expected behaviour and culture occur. For Scots, that starts with meeting the demands of a parent petition requesting an extraordinary meeting with the principal. For the Swans, that includes addressing the players and fans across the men’s and women’s competitions, and the juniors involved in their development squads. But for both the Swans and Scots, the stakeholders include every boy and man who looks to their values and cultures, as well as every woman and girl who typically bears the brunt of the consequences of failed cultures across prominent male-dominated environments.
As a school, Scots can charge parents up to $45,000 a year for a student to attend. As a Club, the Sydney Swans can attract tens of thousands of adoring fans, decked in red and white, into their home ground on the weekends and also run junior development programs that kids as young as eight are desperate to be selected for. These are privileges that require more than an instinct to first protect an institution’s reputation.
Support is available from 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) and Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800).