April 20, 2022
Black Fern plays high price for speaking out
Sports commentator Ken Laban says Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate deserves a bravery award for speaking out about her experience of harassment and body shaming.
A social media post by the Black Fern led to an inquiry by New Zealand Rugby and the resignation last week of coach Glenn Moore.
Laban says Ngata-Aerengamate has paid a high price.
“She’s not been selected and not been contracted. You could say she’s paid a very high price. She was a tikanga leader within the group, and this is a group with 50 percent Māori, very much a part of the on-field and off-field changes they were trying to influence in the Black Ferns so a very untidy and very messy situation,” he says.
The investigation made it clear it wasn’t the other players who were responsible for Ngata-Aerengamate’s emotional breakdown and social media post.