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The Hawthorn Football Club has settled its federal court case with past First Nations players and their families.
Former premiership player Cyril Rioli was among the group of players who alleged they were subjected to a racist culture during their time at the club.
In a joint statement, Hawthorn said it was sorry the players experienced ongoing hurt and distress in their time at the club.
It says it accepts the allegations were made in good faith, and they represent the players' truths.
Racism allegations against the club and former coach Alastair Clarkson, his former assistant Chris Fagan and former welfare manager Jason Burt, were first aired publicly in September 2022.
Clarkson and Fagan during a training session at Waverley Park in 2016. (Getty Images: Robert Cianflone)
Clarkson, Fagan and Burt have all strenuously denied any wrongdoing since then, while an AFL investigation found no adverse findings against the trio in May last year.
The statement said: "No person should suffer to pursue a career in football.
"This has provided valuable learnings for the Club and has greatly assisted the Club in improving its processes, education and the care it provides to each First Nations player and their support persons."
The case was settled without the court determining any of the parties' allegations.
Former Hawthorn star Cyril Rioli is one of several Indigenous players who brought a lawsuit against his former club. (AAP Image: Julian Smith)
AFL premiership star Cyril Rioli was the lead applicant in a statement of claim lodged in the Federal Court in July alongside his wife Shannyn Ah Sam-Rioli, former players Carl Peterson and Jermaine Miller-Lewis, his partner Montanah-Rae Lewis, and former Hawthorn Indigenous liaison officer, Leon Egan.
In an open letter prior to the official claim, the former Hawthorn players outlined their intentions.
"If they still won't listen and learn then it will end up in the Federal Court where we will tell our truths in the witness box," the players said.
The claim included allegations of unlawful discrimination, including family separations.
However, the gravest accusation related to the club's alleged intimidation tactics to separate couples at the earliest stages of pregnancies and parenthood.
This included the alleged demand that one player should instruct his partner to terminate a pregnancy — actions the families say created multi-generational traumas.
After two days of mediation this week, the club and players have agreed on a statement that acknowledges the matter has been resolved.
The statement also declared: "Hawthorn remains committed to providing a safe environment for First Nations peoples and the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination.
"The club thanks the former players, partners, and their families for their courage in providing this guidance."