SYDNEY Swans champion Adam Goodes revealed his struggles with bullying at Horsham College during a press conference on Saturday.
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A 'gutted' Goodes spoke to the media following an incident in Friday night's match against Collingwood, where a 13-year-old Magpies supporter called him an ape.
It brought back painful memories for Goodes, 33, whose heroics were overshadowed by the final-quarter remarks.
"I felt I was in high school again, being bullied, being called all these names because of my appearance," he said.
"I didn't stand up for myself in high school. Now I'm a lot more confident, I'm a lot more proud about who I am and my culture and I decided to stand up last night and I'll continue to stand up because racism has no place in our industry.
"It has no place in our society.
"Hopefully any person out there who has been name-called, who has been verbally abused, can stand up for themselves after what happened on Friday night."
The dual Brownlow Medallist later received a phone call from the young girl.
He then took to Twitter to show his support.
"Just received a phone call from a young girl apologising for her actions. Lets support her please#racismitstopswithme #IndigenousRound," he tweeted.
Just received a phone call from a young girl apologizing for her actions. Lets support her please#racismitstopswithme #IndigenousRound
— Adam Goodes (@adamroy37) May 25, 2013
It was a night to remember both good and bad for Goodes, who kicked his 400th goal and was arguably best on ground in his side's 47-point win over Collingwood.
Despite the incident, Goodes still believes things have improved in the AFL in the past 15 years.
"To come to the football and just rock up and play football and just do your best on your own merits that's what it's about," he said.
"We've created that environment.
"The AFL has been fantastic at doing that.
"It's just there is one-off people out there who are uneducated and they need to be educated.
"It's up to the media, it's up to myself, it's up to the AFL, it's up to society, it's up to parents to join in and say there's no place for racism in our society."