Andrew Thorburn resigns as Essendon CEO after one day over links to controversial church
Andrew Thorburn has resigned as Essendon chief executive 24 hours after being appointed because his links to a church condemning homosexuality and abortion were in “direct contradiction” to the values of the AFL club.
The Bombers announced on Tuesday afternoon that Thorburn, despite not holding the same personal views as the City on the Hill movement for which he is chairman, felt he could not serve in both roles and had offered his resignation.
“As soon as the comments relating to a 2013 sermon from a pastor at the City of the Hill church came to light this morning, we acted immediately to clarify the publicly espoused views on the organisation’s official website, which are in direct contradiction to our values as a club,” the Essendon president, Dave Barham, said in a statement.
“Essendon is committed to providing an inclusive, diverse and safe club, where everyone is welcome and respected.
“The board made clear that, despite these not being views that Andrew Thorburn has expressed personally and that were also made prior to him taking up his role as chairman, he couldn’t continue to serve in his dual roles at the Essendon football club and as chairman of City on the Hill. The board respects Andrew’s decision.”
The acting chief executive, Nick Ryan, will continue in the role while the club commences the process of appointing a new one.
The Bombers’ announcement on Monday that Thorburn would succeed Xavier Campbell was met with an almost-immediate backlash over his position with City on a Hill, which has equated abortion with concentration camps and claims “practising homosexuality is a sin”.
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