Indigenous players back St Kilda coach Ross Lyon after comment deemed ‘casual racism’

St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has received the backing of his club’s chief executive after a group of Indigenous players – including star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera – took offence following a comment made at training earlier this month. Lyon made the comment when three Indigenous players lined up together for a drill, saying, “I love the brother-boy connection, but we all have to remember, we are part of the bigger team here”. The players raised their concerns with the coach the following day and the matter was dealt with internally, but became public when journalist Caroline Wilson raised it on Channel Seven on Monday night. Lyon said he had misjudged the moment. “Was I being flippant? Could it be described as casual racism? I learned a lot out of what happened,” he told Wilson. “It didn’t land where it should have landed, and I have to wear that, and I take full responsibility for what I said.” When approached by media at training on Tuesday morning, the coach accepted his mistake. “Culture is really important and behaviour is really important and I made an error unintentionally, resolved it with my players and I’m thankful for their support,” Lyon said. Saints chief executive Carl Dilena said it was a “pretty innocent oversight” by Lyon that meant no harm, but it was important to assess whether comments were racist by how they are received. “There’d be people out there going, ‘Oh, did it really [cause offence], was that very serious?’ And Ross didn’t think anything of it at the time,” Dilena told SEN on Tuesday. “But it is very challenging, and as we’ve seen in various instances, it’s how it’s received more so than how it’s delivered. That’s always the challenge with casual racism or unconscious bias. People don’t think of it, but probably need to be more aware of it.” Lyon was reportedly emotional and offered to consider his position of senior coach when he spoke with a group of players at the club, including Bradley Hill and Wanganeen-Milera, three days after the incident. Dilena said he only learned of the matter on Monday night, but he was happy with how it was handled. “It shows that he’s running a pretty safe environment with our First Nations boys where they were comfortable to raise it with him and discuss it and just sort it out harmoniously,” he said. “They just sorted it out between themselves like any mishap and it was a positive outcome.” St Kilda sit 12th on the ladder after seven games. Lyon, 59, is in his second stint coaching the club, having held the job since 2023.