Goodes, an Aboriginal Australian, was drafted by the Sydney Swans in the 1997 AFL Draft and went on to have a successful career with the Swans, featuring in their 2005 and 2012 premiership teams and being awarded a number of accolades for his performances including the AFL Rising Star award in 1999,[1] the Brownlow Medal (2003 and 2006),[2] the Bob Skilton Medal (2003, 2006 and 2011),[3] and All Australian selection (2003, 2006, 2009 and 2011).
[6] Goodes was deeply affected by the incident, but said repeatedly that the girl should not be blamed; the environment that she grew up in had shaped her response.
The motivation for, and acceptability of, the booing generated wide public debate, which dominated media coverage from both sports and political commentators for weeks at a time.
[12] He returned the following week and played for the remainder of the season after an outpouring of support from fans, actors, politicians, celebrities and teammates, including two spontaneous standing ovations.
[30] Garry Maddox, for the Sydney Morning Herald says "It is a powerful work that stirs deep emotions",[31] while Screenhub's Sarah Ward calls it 'crucial'.
[32] The Go Foundation reported that it had received several messages from members of the public who had seen the documentary and wanted to express their remorse for having booed Goodes.
On 7 June 2019, on the day of the documentary's premiere, the AFL and all of its 18 clubs issued an unreserved apology for the sustained racism and events which drove Goodes out of the game.
We are unified on this, and never want to see the mistakes of the past repeated.The statement also said that the football community "pledged to continue to fight all forms of racism and discrimination, on and off the field".