Collingwood’s furious response after Brendan Fevola goes public with staggering ‘rumour’
The Collingwood football club has “categorically denied” suggestions from AFL great Brendan Fevola that chief executive Craig Kelly has secretly departed the Magpies. Fevola made the bombshell claim during a radio segment on Thursday that Kelly had left his role at Collingwood and that “no one knows yet”.
Collingwood’s CEO is at the centre of an ongoing court case after being accused of physical assault and using a number of racial slurs by an ex-club staffer. Former Collingwood head of First Nations strategy Mark Cleaver lodged the allegations against Kelly in the Federal circuit and family court of Australia, with the matter set to be heard on August 27.
Magpies president Jeff Browne has strongly denied the allegations against Kelly and the club has vowed to defend the CEO. But Fevola made the staggering claim on Thursday that Kelly and the Magpies had parted ways “a couple of weeks ago” and that Collingwood were hoping to keep the news “in-house” until their season is over.
“I had a coffee with someone yesterday and they’re a part of the biggest clubs in the AFL and they dropped a little bomb on my table,” Fevola said on The Fox’s Fifi, Fev & Nick on Thursday. “Craig Kelly is the CEO (of Collingwood). He has departed the footy club. No one knows yet…
“I think they were trying to hold off until the end of the year, which is (likely) Friday night as their last game. He won’t be at the footy club next year. Gone. That’s a DM… it’s a rumour… that is true. It will be announced probably next week. This happened a couple of weeks ago and they’ve kept it in-house.
While the Magpies have not officially come out to address the speculation around the club CEO, Herald Sun journalist Glenn McFarlane says Collingwood have vehemently denied suggestions Kelly has left the club. Speaking on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle, McFarlane said Kelly was seen at the club this week as he looks to help shape the club’s football department, following the departure of ex-footy boss Graham Wright.
“All I can say is Collingwood do not know where the rumour started and said it’s not true, they were very strong on that today,” McFarlane said on Thursday night’s program. It comes after former Collingwood footy boss Wright officially departed the club before round 24, following a five-month overseas sabbatical in the United States and Europe.
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