Hockeyroos coach sacked for alleged exposure
Adam Commens, coach of Australia’s women’s hockey team, has been stood down over alleged “serious misconduct” at the Rio Olympics.
Commens’ exit from the role follows allegations he exposed himself and made lewd remarks to a group of Hockeyroos during celebrations after attending the hockey finals in Rio.
According to the ABC, Commens’ contract was due to expire on September 30, but the Hockey Australia (HA) board opted to terminate his contract early.
The Hockeyroos’ Rio campaign ended in disappointment. Photo: AAP
An HA statement said it conducted an investigation into allegations that Commens “had engaged in behaviour amounting to serious misconduct” after the team was eliminated by New Zealand in the quarter-finals of the Olympics.
“On behalf of the board of directors of Hockey Australia, I want to make clear that as an organisation, we take the on-field and off-field behaviour of our players, coaching staff and employees very seriously,” HA board president David Hatt said in the statement.
“Hockey Australia holds its people to the highest standards and will not condone or excuse misconduct in any circumstances.”
Commens told HA in February that he did not plan to renew his contract and senior assistant Jason Duff was already set to take over as interim head coach once the team returned to training after the Games.
News.com had reported in August that a female player alerted Hockey Australia after Commens allegedly urinated in the street in full view of a group of his players.
Hockey Australia confirmed an investigation into the exact nature of Commens’ conduct was underway but the context of the incident was not known, including whether Commens unwittingly exposed himself.