Adelaide Crows 'blackface' fan unmasked as club stalwart and Superfan of the Year Colleen McKaye – as she goes into hiding — Published: 05:27 BST, 7 September 2026 | Updated: 05:39 BST, 7 September 2026
The woman at the centre of a blackface scandal at Saturday's AFL elimination final says she is 'deeply distressed' and refusing to take phone calls from her friends.
The Daily Mail can reveal it was club stalwart Colleen McKaye, 59, who painted her face black to pose as the Adelaide Crows mascot for their victory over the Western Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval.
She was crowned female Fan of the Year by the AFL Fans Association in 2018 and is a long-serving committee member of the club's official cheer squad, with ties dating back more than a decade.
But Ms McKaye has now gone into hiding after TV cameras caught her in the stands in the controversial outfit, sparking a nationwide row.
'She is not taking any calls at the moment,' her son James told the Daily Mail on Monday.
'I've had all her friends messaging me worried because she's not answering her phone. She's not doing too great after everything.'
Ms McKaye was seated in the Crows cheer squad bay behind the goal square when the cameras picked her out of the crowd in her costume.
She was accused of 'blackface', where a non-black person darkens their skin to imitate a black person, historically lampooning the race for racist minstrel shows.
She also attracted condemnation for adding a red bow tie typically worn by minstrels and used on old-fashioned golliwog dolls, but not traditionally worn by the club's mascot, Claude the Crow.
'For big games… I dress up in over-the-top clothes to show my Crows colours,' she told her club's website after she was named fan of the year in 2018.
Colleen McKaye (pictured) attended the match dressed as Adelaide's mascot, Claude the Crow
Vision of her black-painted face and red bow tie during the game left viewers stunned
Ms McKaye is a passionate Crows fan, who won a supporter of the year award in 2018
At games, she is known for firing up the crowd to sing supporter chants.
Published: 05:27 BST, 7 September 2026 | Updated: 05:39 BST, 7 September 2026
The woman at the centre of a blackface scandal at Saturday's AFL elimination final says she is 'deeply distressed' and refusing to take phone calls from her friends.
The Daily Mail can reveal it was club stalwart Colleen McKaye, 59, who painted her face black to pose as the Adelaide Crows mascot for their victory over the Western Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval.
She was crowned female Fan of the Year by the AFL Fans Association in 2018 and is a long-serving committee member of the club's official cheer squad, with ties dating back more than a decade.
But Ms McKaye has now gone into hiding after TV cameras caught her in the stands in the controversial outfit, sparking a nationwide row.
'She is not taking any calls at the moment,' her son James told the Daily Mail on Monday.
'I've had all her friends messaging me worried because she's not answering her phone. She's not doing too great after everything.'
Ms McKaye was seated in the Crows cheer squad bay behind the goal square when the cameras picked her out of the crowd in her costume.
She was accused of 'blackface', where a non-black person darkens their skin to imitate a black person, historically lampooning the race for racist minstrel shows.
She also attracted condemnation for adding a red bow tie typically worn by minstrels and used on old-fashioned golliwog dolls, but not traditionally worn by the club's mascot, Claude the Crow.
'For big games… I dress up in over-the-top clothes to show my Crows colours,' she told her club's website after she was named fan of the year in 2018.
Colleen McKaye (pictured) attended the match dressed as Adelaide's mascot, Claude the Crow
Vision of her black-painted face and red bow tie during the game left viewers stunned
Ms McKaye is a passionate Crows fan, who won a supporter of the year award in 2018
At games, she is known for firing up the crowd to sing supporter chants.
Written by https://futureknowledge.in/ | Source: www.dailymail.com
Written by https://futureknowledge.in/
