Port Adelaide President David Koch says the club is “incredibly angry” with Willie Rioli after it was revealed the AFL is looking at re-investigating the troubled Port star over threats to multiple players during the last year.

Koch’s response comes as Essendon coach Brad Scott said his club had no interest in pursuing the alleged threat Rioli made against one of his players, understood to be Archie Roberts.

Rioli escaped any sanction for a threat made towards Bulldogs player Bailey Dale via an Instagram message to Dale’s teammate, but it has now been reported he also made threats on the field in games against Geelong in 2024 and Essendon in Round 3 this season.

Rioli is understood to have threatened Geelong player Brad Close. Cats star Jeremy Cameron confronted Rioli after the exchange.

Port coach Ken Hinkley was due to speak today but his weekly press conference has been moved to Friday with a more senior member or members of the club expected to address the media.

It is unclear if Rioli will now play in the Showdown against Adelaide on Saturday.

“We’re incredibly angry about the situation and Willie knows that. And what’s said on the field is one thing. What’s done off the field — particularly on social media — and a private message to another player who he thought would stay private but then was passed on, it gets very complicated,” Koch said on Adelaide radio.

“We’ve talked pretty sternly to Willie about it and said it’s just not on.

“On field in the heat of the battle is one thing. Off-field and on social media is totally different. That’s why we’re really angry with Willie and what he did, and there’s absolutely no excusing that, and don’t get me wrong on it.

“But we’ve got a duty of care to support the players and turn a bit of attention on what society is doing to these players.”

Koch said while he did not excuse Rioli’s on-field behaviour he thought it needed to be treated differently to more calculated actions like sending a message a day after the game as Rioli did concerning Dale.

In that message he told a Bulldogs player Dale would not be safe outside the team’s Darwin hotel when they travel there to play Gold Coast this weekend.

“If you’re going to start examining every comment, not only against Indigenous players but other players as well, then I’m not sure where that will end up, because it happens constantly,” Koch said.

“You can’t just isolate a couple of comments from a particular player. Otherwise you then start to open it up — or you should start to open it up — for comments across every player, and it would be never-ending at that stage.

“You’d either have to crack down on every comment and say, ‘OK there’s no sledging, there’s no sledging getting inside people’s heads, there’s no sexual references, there’s no racial comments,’ all that sort of thing and you just ban it altogether.”

Koch revealed the strain Rioli was under and the abuse he copped as an Indigenous AFL star.

“It’s not just Willie, it’s Indigenous players across every club — we have the highest representation of Indigenous players of any club and have always had that,” he said.

“So it’s a really important part of our DNA as a club, both on-field and our work in our Indigenous programs in the community is to support these players and these staff as well.

“You’ve got absolutely no idea of what they go through both on-field — on-field is one thing — but off-field as well.

“The threats that we receive as a club against our Indigenous players would just horrify you, and and we see a responsibility to protect them in that situation as well.

“This is their workplace, some of the things said on-field in the heat of the battle is one thing. Off-field and on social media is totally different.

“That’s why we’re really angry with Willie and what he did and there’s absolutely no excusing that, and don’t get me wrong on it.

On Tuesday night, Channel 7 AFL analyst Caroline Wilson revealed Rioli had threatened a Geelong player last year, which she described as a “violent” threat and “bordering on horrific”.

“(It was a) pretty violent, bordering on horrific, threat that was made to a Geelong player by Willie Rioli,” she told The Agenda Setters.

“A lot of players heard it. I’m told the response from the Port Adelaide players, those who were within earshot, was a bit, ‘Oh no, not this again.’

“And the Geelong player who was threatened chose not to go on with it—didn’t want the incident reported to the AFL. But Geelong’s footy boss Andrew Mackie took the decision to refer the matter to (AFL footy boss) Laura Kane.

“Geelong felt that it was just something that needed to be put on the record.”

But the Cats on Wednesday said it did not progress to the point of involving the AFL.

“The club can confirm the matter was not raised with the AFL. The club spoke directly with Port Adelaide after the match and considered the matter dealt with,” Geelong said.

On Wednesday Scott said his club has “zero issues” with Rioli, declaring “what happens on the field, stays on the field”.

Scott conceded community expectations had changed as to what was allowable, and made it clear he expected his and all players to stay away from the sort of racial and homophobic slurs which have drawn heavy penalties and heavy scorn in recent years.

But he said in the “combative” AFL arena, he fully expected players would become involved in heated exchanges and none of his players were moved to take anything said by Rioli any further.

“It’s not an Essendon issue. Our players have zero concerns,” Scott said.

“There are community expectations around player behaviour on and off the field, but within those expectations I have a pretty firm belief of what happens on the field should stay on the field, provided that it’s within general community expectations.

“Our players feel that whatever was said or done on field against Port Adelaide should stay on the field, we’re not interested in engaging further.”

Scott conceded, however, that off-field indiscretions should be treated differently.

“Across the decades, expectations have quite rightly changes in line with broader community expectations,” he said.

“I think the AFL have been leaders in tackling issues like racism. We absolutely know that there is no space or place for racism on or off the field.

“But on field, it is a competitive environment, and what would be defined as a threat could be a pretty loose term. we play a combative, competitive sport and I would expect our players to be combative, expect than to do that within the realms of sportsmanship, there’s certainly a place for what happens on the field stays on the field.

“But I’d stress again, provided it’s within what we all know are community expectations of levels of behaviour.

“Our game was played, there were no reports made. Our players, and I’ve canvassed them, have absolutely no issue.”

Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said he was concerned about “double jeopardy” given Rioli was initially unpenalised, but said the AFL could have “been stronger”.

“There are different layers of sanction that you can place … there is obviously a slap on the wrist … there is conduct unbecoming and a fine, and there is conduct unbecoming and a suspension,” Buckley said on SEN.

“Could the AFL have been stronger? I guarantee now they wish they were stronger now that more (allegations) have come (forward).”

The 29-year-old former West Coast Eagle was in hot water after Port’s big win over the Hawks in the Gather Round finale last month when he posted on Instagram how much he ‘hated’ Hawthorn over how the club had treated his family.

His father, Willie Senior, was mocked by Hawks great Jason Dunstall during a Hall of Fame speech last year, and his relative Cyril Rioli was involved in a lawsuit for historical racism against the club that was settled out of court in 2024.

He took leave from the club after the Hawks match before returning to play in Port’s 85-77 win over the Swans in Round 6.

With 7NEWS/Newscorp