St Kilda coach Lyon offers to step down over brotherboy remark

St Kilda coach Ross Lyon offered to step down from his position after using the term "brotherboy" during a training session, a remark that upset several Indigenous players on the team.

The incident occurred earlier this month when Lyon commented on a drill involving Indigenous players Bradley Hill and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera. "I love the brotherboy connection, but we all have to remember we are part of a bigger team here," Lyon said at the time. In Indigenous culture, "brotherboy" specifically refers to an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person assigned female at birth who identifies and lives as male, often taking on cultural male roles. Lyon later acknowledged that his off-the-cuff reference to team camaraderie misfired.

Veteran player Hill contacted Lyon the following evening to express his concerns. Hill reportedly told the coach, "You wouldn't have said that if it was three white players, so you shouldn't have said it to us." The situation escalated into an emotional meeting during the club's bye week, where Lyon addressed the players directly. He became tearful, took full responsibility and offered to consider his resignation.

"I'm not here to justify or try to...