St Kilda have confirmed they will ‘not be pursuing’ disgraced ex-North Melbourne player Tarryn Thomas, amid fan backlash over a meeting between the 24-year old and Saints list guru Graeme Allan.
Allan and Thomas met at a Lygon St restaurant earlier in the week, with news of the meeting seeing the club come under fire from supporters and the wider football community.
Thomas was sacked by the Kangaroos before the start of the season after an AFL integrity unit investigation found he was guilty of ‘multiple acts of misconduct’ against women, following a series of accusations against him over a number of years.
The AFL handed Thomas an eighteen-match suspension as punishment; while that has expired, the league would need to give express permission for him to return to the league and for a club to recruit him.
On Friday afternoon, Saints CEO Carl Dilena released a statement on the club’s social media accounts outlining their position on Thomas.
“I wish to provide clarity on our club’s position regarding contact between a club employee and former North Melbourne player, Tarryn Thomas,” Dilena’s statement reads.
“The football department pursues a number of players, as it is our job to find the best talent to fit our team and club.
“Following a course of due diligence, I can confirm that St Kilda will not be pursuing Tarryn Thomas.”
The statement followed an awkward press conference earlier in the day in which Saints coach Ross Lyon repeatedly stonewalled questions about his and the club’s interest in Thomas.
Lyon repeatedly described himself as a ‘servant of the club’, saying he was under instruction to refer only to the Saints’ upcoming statement whenever questioned.
““Yeah, look, I’m really here to talk about this weekend’s game,” Lyon said.
“The club, to be fair, is releasing a statement – I’m a servant of the club, and that’s the exact instruction I’ve been asked to execute on and that I will adhere to.
“I submit to the club’s needs… I’m just a servant of the club. I’ve had a fair few pressers, so I understand where you’re coming from, but on that topic, the statement’s all I’ve got for you today.
“Really simply, you guys have already been informed of [the upcoming statement], the club executive and the board will be releasing a statement – I won’t be making any comment on any aspect beyond that.
“The club is releasing a statement, which will detail the club’s position.”
When asked if his dodging the question was abstaining himself of responsibility for Allan’s meeting with Thomas, he answered: “That’s a really good question, but I’ll refer you back to that I’m a servant of the club and there’s a statement coming.
“We can volley all day, right? And my demeanour is not going to change, I’m a servant of the club, and I’m really here to talk about the Richmond game, because we’re coming off a bad loss after being really good for a period of time.”
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