Former Hawks legend claims Alastair Clarkson was denied service at a petrol station over racism saga

Hawthorn great Jordan Lewis has revealed his former coach Alastair Clarkson was refused service at a petrol station when the racism scandal involving First Nations players was initially reported last September.

It comes as the embattled coach – as well as Chris Fagan and Jason Burt – are ‘unlikely’ to face sanctions based on the evidence presented to the Hawthorn racism inquiry to date.

Lewis, who won four premierships with the Hawks, didn’t mince his words on Fox Footy.

He declared the club has ‘blood on their hands’ and that Clarkson is the ‘most resilient person that I’ve ever come across in my life.’

‘The more I talk about it, the angrier I get,’ Lewis said.

Hawthorn great Jordan Lewis has revealed former coach Alastair Clarkson was refused service at a petrol station when the racism scandal was initially reported last September

Lewis told Fox Footy that Clarkson deserves better and the chance to clear his name

‘When the news first broke, he [Clarkson] went down to the coast to get away for a little bit.

‘He stopped off at a petrol station, and the person behind the counter refused to serve him. Because of these allegations.

‘I don’t know how many times in his everyday life that would have happened, but it would wear you down.’

Lewis wasn’t finished yet, declaring those ‘put in place to interview both sides of the situation to get a clearer picture of what actually happened haven’t done their job.’

‘I feel for the Indigenous players because they probably went into this situation hoping there would be an outcome. Once again, eight months down the track they still feel like they are in limbo,’ he added.

‘The same goes for the other side of the camp. They [three coaches] haven’t even had a chance to talk.

‘I couldn’t imagine that they would want to go back to the [Hawthorn] football club for a very, very long time. It’s really sad.’

Clarkson stood down indefinitely as the Kangaroos head coach this week, citing his mental health stemming from the inquiry – Brett Ratten (pictured right) will take over in the interim

It comes as Clarkson stood down indefinitely as senior coach at North Melbourne on Thursday, citing mental health concerns stemming from the saga during his time at Hawthorn.

A report in The Age revealed investigators are being urged to bring the eight-month long inquiry to an end.

Clarkson is said to be ‘second guessing’ himself, and he told North Melbourne president Sonja Hood plus chief executive Jennifer Watt on Wednesday he ‘needs help’ and isn’t in the current head space to be a head coach.

Brett Ratten will be the interim coach at Arden St and is ‘prepared to step up for my mate and my club.’