HALL OF SHAME

And so Gary Ablett finally makes it into the AFL’s Hall of Fame. If it were based purely on football skills he should have been there years ago.

But the code’s criteria demands that a man’s character as well as his football skills be considered. And when it comes to character he well and truly dropped the ball.

Gary Ablett – an out of control drugee – was largely responsible for the death of a 20-year-old girl, Alisha Horan. She died in his hotel room. Or went into a drug-induced coma in his hotel room from which she never emerged.

And this big, brave man – who had himself been in a booze and drug-induced deep sleep– scarpered. The paramedics didn’t know what induced her fatal coma. Ablett didn’t tell them. He hid for days. I remember it was days before he fronted police.

The hospital, where she finally died, did not even know her name. This young woman was just a number. She was treated like a piece of meat.

Ablett, and his drug dealer who fled overseas, showed her not a skerrick of respect or decency.

Alisha Horan was star struck. She went to school with Ablett’s kids. She had his pictures on her bedroom wall. She was the same age as his daughter.

And he lured her to Melbourne for a marathon alcohol and drugs session that ended up with her death. And he lied to her about what drugs he was giving her. The man is putrid. And they called him God. The Devil would have been a more appropriate name.

At the inquest into Alisha Horan’s death Coroner Noreen Toohey said Ablett had failed in his responsibility. That he might have saved Horan’s life had he not been so strongly affect by alcohol and drugs.

But he gets into the Hall of Fame. Or Hall of Infamy in his case. A despicable individual who helped a young woman die. He eventually pleaded guilty to charges of possessing and using drugs. He was fined, I think, 1500 dollars. So that’s the price of a life.

In the Herald Sun today Jon Anderson said “The facts are you have to move on, not forget but move on”.

Trevor Grant talks about the character criteria and rightly says “on that score, Gary Ablett doesn’t make the cut”.

Interesting that Ablett won’t be there for the induction ceremony and his son Gary Jr has also declined.

Maybe they both see it the way I see it. Alisha Horan won’t be their either.

Thursday, June 2, 2005

©Copyright Derryn Hinch 2005