Coach Michael Voss has claimed Carlton are being ‘bullied’ by outsiders over the Elijah Hollands situation as the investigation by the AFL continues.
The Blues are preparing to play Fremantle on Saturday but all attention is on Hollands, who was admitted to hospital this week after a public mental health episode during Carlton’s loss to Collingwood last Thursday night.
A visibly angry Voss didn’t provide an update on Hollands’ condition, but said he had been communicating with his family rather than the player himself.
The coach said he couldn’t comment on specifics of the club’s handling of Hollands with the ‘process’ still unfolding.
Victorian workplace safety watchdog WorkSafe is also asking questions about the incident.
‘The AFL’s looking into everything at this point in time so there is a process that clearly is underway,’ Voss said on Thursday at the Blues headquarters.
A visibly angry Michael Voss lashed out at the media’s ‘bullying’ of Carlton over how the club handled the Elijah Hollands incident as he gave a press conference on Thursday (pictured)
Voss is pictured with Hollands straight after the match against Collingwood last Thursday night, in which the Blues star demonstrated worrying behaviour and had just one disposal
It has since been revealed that Hollands (pictured playing against the Magpies) was admitted to hospital after his mental health episode
‘I think we let that process play out – so we welcome what that will actually look like and I’m sure there’ll be some findings at the back of it.’
The coach defended his club’s handling of the 23-year-old, which has come under heavy public scrutiny.
Widely circulated videos showed Hollands showing signs of unusual behaviour before the game against the Magpies even started.
He finished the contest with one disposal for the match before he was benched in the final quarter.
‘Unfortunately rather make this a private challenge, we’ve made this a public event so the commentary, the conversation, the ball-by-ball play … and in some ways, like I’ll be really honest, it’s felt like bordering on bullying,’ Voss said.
‘Rather than show compassion and empathy through a really difficult situation, we (people) are are being really judgmental with knowing little facts, without understanding history and background, and we’ve drawn our own outcomes.
‘I think our people are being bullied, and I think we (people) bully for outcomes, and all I’d just say is that we need to take into consideration the people involved in this – this impacts families.’
Voss said ‘I am proud of my people’, but refused to say whether he was proud of the way the club has handled the disturbing incident, according to News Corp.
Last year, Hollands twice took personal leave from Carlton and later revealed he had been battling mental ill-health and issues with alcohol.
Voss said he and club officials had been working with the youngster.
‘The last couple of years haven’t been smooth sailing, for him or us, but what we have done, and our team of people have done, has provided amazing mentoring, counselling, guidance, specialists and professionals, both inside and out, all for the opportunity for a young man to be able to have a career.’
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