Former Collingwood pair Chris Dawes and Brent Macaffer have claimed they knew members of the club referred to Heritier Lumumba as 'Chimp'.
While the premiership duo have come forward about Lumumba's nickname, Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley reveals he never heard anyone refer to the former Magpies defender during his playing days with the Magpies.
โThe only mouth I have heard that nickname out of was Heritier's himself when he told me about it, that is categoric,โ Buckley told reporters on Wednesday.
Lumumba decided not to take any part in the club's investigation into allegations of racism and poor support surrounding Lumumba, prompting Dawes and Macaffer to come forward.
Collingwood director Peter Murphy and fellow board members Jodie Sizer and Mark Anderson stand on the committee that leads the integrity investigation that is recalling the 10 years Lumumba spent with the club.
Buckley said the club will not look away from the racism accusations that surround the club.
โClearly my character is being questioned โฆ and I know where I stand in that regard,โ he said. โBut we will do this the right way and we will do it with the right people and we will do it with integrity.
โWe are not about sweeping anything under the carpet here.
โWe want to learn about it and we want the truth to be told because that is the basis of the investigation.โ
Lumumba has come forward stating he suffered a โculture of racist jokesโ, including being nicknamed 'Chimp'.
Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has joined Nathan Buckley in stating he hasn't heard the nickname at the club.
But Dawes and Macaffer opened up to SBS'sย The Feed,wWith Macaffer stating โthe nickname โthe chimp' and stuff like that which absolutely I remember clearly like that was (Lumumba's) nickname from whenever I got to the football club in 2006.โ
Dawes said he had heard the nickname a number of times.
Former Magpie teammate Nathan Krakoeur also reportedly supported the claims made by Lumumba.
Lumumba had requested to a leadership group - including Buckley - for the nickname calls to come to a stop, with Lumumba getting his wish soon after.
Macaffer said he recalls the meeting and Lumumba โgetting up and speaking about those things that he's obviously dealt with internally by himself for a long period of time.โ
โI've seen that (Buckley) said that he wasn't aware of it. I find it very difficult people at the football club at that time could be unaware that would be his nickname as it was used just frequently as anyone else's nickname is around the club,โ Macaffer said.
โBut that's for (Buckley) to decide if they heard that or not.โ
Buckley responded to Macaffer and Dawes' comments, stating: โWe are trying to gather everyone's perspectives and these perspectives are new perspectives, it's new information.
โThe integrity committee have decided and are committed to finding out what that truth was โฆ they will be speaking to everyone they can to have an understanding, what were the circumstances and what we can learn from them.
โIt's everyone person's prerogative to share and to be involved as they see fit.
โBut the club's position is really clear. We will be going in a really thorough manner to learn and to improve and to be better for our people from this.โ
"There are obviously a lot of details that need to be unearthed and shared and spoken about with an open mind and an open heart so that we can address this situation, we can address Heritier's experience,โ Buckley said.
โNot to sweep it under the carpet and not to necessarily adjust the result, but to learn from it and hopefully to be better from it.
โThat is why we have undertaken this process.
โIt's crucial โฆ some of the truths of some have been shared publicly but it's our job as a football club to listen to our people, to learn from our people and to respect and value our people.
โThat is why this process is critically important because everyone that comes into this place is critically important to us and it needs to be an environment which respects all.โ
In a recent Twitter thread, Lumumba thanked teammates that had supported him during his playing career and those that have recently come forward.
โMy former teammate Brent Macaffer confirms that I requested a club-wide meeting with my teammates and senior coaches, including Nathan Buckley, to address the culture of racist jokes at the club, and in particular the nickname โchimp',โ Lumumba wrote.
โAs I have previously stated, I also went through an 8-hour mediation with Buckley to explain why this nickname was so offensive and hurtful. Does he still stand by his claim that he โdidn't hear it'?
โWhat does Collingwood have to say now that it has been revealed that one of its most senior figures deliberately misled the public about racism at the club? It is simply too late for them to drag this issue out of the public domain and back behind closed doors.
โCollingwood's suggestion that it will โinvestigate' itself after actively denying my story for 6 years is frankly insulting. Senior people in the club have known the truth this whole time and chose a cover-up over transparency.
โI have no desire to convince Collingwood of a truth that they already know. Given the club's inability to come clean, and the way it has attempted to publicly and privately attack my reputation, I cannot accept that this โintegrity' process has been proposed in good faith.
โMy claims have been consistent. Instead of simply acknowledging them, Collingwood chose to engage in deceptive and misleading conduct, unnecessarily dragging its fans and members through a scandal which will leave an unfortunate mark on the club's history.
โThe lack of action or comment from top AFL officials remains baffling. At a moment where the world is experiencing a moment of global reckoning about racism, now is the time for leadership - not silence.โ
Lumumba retired after 223 games with Collingwood and Melbourne in 2016.
