Dee Salmin, the partner of Collingwood captain Darcy Moore, has announced she will boycott next month's Brownlow Medal ceremony, saying the event “doesn't align” with her values following the AFL's response to the alleged sexual assault at the Sydney Swans' team hotel. The writer and podcast host explained her decision in a newsletter published on Sunday.
Salmin's decision and reasoning
Salmin, who also hosts a popular podcast, wrote that she had spent the past few weeks reflecting on the important conversations about women and the culture surrounding the AFL. “I've spent the past few weeks thinking about the important conversations we're having about women and the culture surrounding AFL, and I've realised I can't keep encouraging other people to interrogate the systems they participate in, without being willing to interrogate them myself,” she said.
She added: “I haven't made this decision thinking my absence will be noticed, or a big deal, but as someone who believes in leading with your values, I just don't feel comfortable being at an event that doesn't align with mine.” Salmin was previously described as a “a gonad stealing feminist witch” by a social media user after appearing at the 2024 Brownlows, a phrase she later adopted on her own profile.
Context of the Sydney Swans scandal
Five Swans players have been banned by the club for the rest of the season for breaching club standards, including drinking and bringing women back to their hotel room, earlier this month. Victoria police are separately continuing to investigate an alleged sexual assault at the Melbourne hotel where the Swans were staying. No one has been arrested or charged, and the five players have reportedly denied any criminal wrongdoing.
The initial response from the Swans, and silence from the AFL, was widely criticised for a lack of empathy towards the woman involved or those in the football community. Salmin said: “Of course, there are people within the sport who I love and respect (my partner being one of them), but that doesn't mean the entire culture is above criticism. I think when it comes to the AFL's attitude towards women and gender-based violence, there needs to be some serious change.”
Salmin's past enjoyment and Moore's stance
Despite her boycott, Salmin acknowledged she had enjoyed aspects of the Brownlow evening in previous years. “The Brownlow red carpet has become one of the occasions in my life where I get to properly play with fashion, talk about some of my favourite artists, designers and the art of upcycling,” she said.
Moore, who captained the Magpies to the 2023 premiership and is the son of a former Collingwood captain, has been named an All-Australian twice and currently serves as president of the AFL Players' Association, having succeeded Patrick Dangerfield last year. Salmin and Moore appeared together in a social media video last year for Teach Us Consent, the respectful relationship organisation founded by Chanel Contos, in which Moore discussed the toxicity of many male spaces. “It is as a result of this culture of, like, blokes feel these pressures to act in certain ways,” he said. “It's not serving guys. It's clearly harming women, profoundly. So it's pretty obvious to see those harms when you step back and think about it.”
