Wilson slams 'worst performance' by AFL in years as 'fears' Willie Rioli may be lost to the game emerge

Caroline Wilson has slammed the AFL's handling of the Willie Rioli situation, labelling it the 'worst-handled' incident in Andrew Dillon's time as chief executive.

Rioli was retrospectively given a one-game suspension after multiple incidents of threatening behaviour on field came to light during the week. This came after the AFL chose not to sanction the Port Adelaide forward for allegedly sending a threatening text message to Bulldog Bailey Dale.

However, the 29-year-old had already withdrawn from round nine's Showdown before the one-game ban was announced.

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Wilson believes there are genuine "fears" around AFL clubs that Rioli may not return to the game, the next time he heads home to the Tiwi Islands.

"What's happened this week has seen, I think, the worst performance by the Andrew Dillon administration since it took over," Wilson told 3AW.

"And I include Andrew Dillon, (football operations boss) Laura Kane, (general counsel) Stephen Meade - I don't know where (EGM social inclusion) Tanya Hosch has been, has she been silenced?

"Now, you go back to Gillon McLachlan's reign and the one real black mark on his reign was Adam Goodes. Still lost to the game. Still won't attend a Brownlow Medal. Has no interest in footy anymore. Broken hearted.

"Willie Rioli has had bigger issues than Goodes off-field, but if the game loses Willie Rioli, and there is a genuine fear that if he goes back to the Tiwi Islands in the coming weeks or at the bye, that he might never return, and that is on all of us.

"I think the coverage of what has happened this week has been really dubious from some media circles.

"I think the initial decision not to fine or punish Rioli was clearly a misstep, but if there was a decision not to fine him then, why ban him for a game after the subsequent releasing of two on-field threats that must happen in games all of the time.

"They're slow moving and cumbersome, they're a joke, the AFL's integrity department. When I say integrity department, I'm probably more meaning legal counsel as well.

"Was there any attempt to find out what has been said to Rioli that has provoked this? Now it might not be overt racism, but clearly there are racial overtones. I think Andrew Dillion and Laura Kane should be embarrassed.

"Where is the Indigenous voice? I'm embarrassed for the AFL."

Port Adelaide football boss Chris Davies believes insults Rioli cops on field from opposition players regarding his weight and previous alleged drug use, while not intentionally racist, can be viewed as such with greater context.

"I think firstly it's really important to say Willie has put his hand up and said that he wished he didn't send the text message after the game," Davies told 3AW.

"(And I am not) suggesting in the two instances highlighted (that) anything said was believed to be racist, but what you've highlighted (weight and drug abuse commentary) are two issues Willie has to deal with regularly.

"My question to you would be, if someone has been abused through their life as overweight and part of that conversation has included what they are eating as part of their cultural diet, would you expect that the next time that person is called overweight, that person, in some way, link that back to what they have received across their life.

"The Marijuana use ... would you consider 'go and smoke drugs with your mates', is that something that, when it has been prevalent in a community, it might have more significance for the person that is hearing it."

Davies refused to confirm whether these issues were the subject of these specific incidents.

"It has happened on the field over time. I'm not saying that these incidents are specific (to that). I can't imagine anyone wouldn't think Willie hasn't received this over his life, even in the AFL competition," he said.

"I can't imagine we would be surprised that Willie hasn't told us all the time that that has happened.

"I noted earlier this week Andrew Dillon asking everyone to be transparent with issues. That is great in theory. But it will be harder than he thinks in action and we've got to work out better ways to deal with this stuff in future."