Port Adelaide Football Club president David Koch has claimed that Willie Rioli was subjected to “cultural disrespect” during the Bulldogs game, which led to him striking Bailey Dale off the ball and then sending a threatening message about Dale to one of his Bulldogs teammates.

The latest explosive claims come as the AFL works to prevent the issue of racism from completely overshadowing its Sir Doug Nicholls Round, which celebrates Indigenous footballers and culture.

Rioli, who also threatened players on-field during games against Essendon this year and Geelong last year, was suspended from the Showdown clash against Adelaide on Saturday.

The AFL made the announcement just hours after Rioli had already stated he would not be playing in the game last week.

The Power take on Geelong this weekend, with Tyson Stengle saying his teammates would not sledge Rioli.

While Rioli has not claimed he was subjected to blatant racism on the field, it has been reported that comments about his weight, cannabis use, and cultural diet have been used in sledges against him by rivals.

Koch did not detail what was said to Rioli during the Bulldogs game but inferred that what was said had provoked the star small forward.

“Something happened in the game, on-field comments that were…,” Koch told FIVEaa radio on Thursday.

“Now, people will say that footballers are so soft these days, ‘just run with it, accept it like the old days’.

“Indigenous players throughout their whole life have faced that sort of casual abuse.”

Koch stopped short of calling the sledges racism.

“Well, it was, if you like, cultural disrespect during the game — referring to where he had come from, community habits, and things like that,” he said.

“As an industry, we have to be aware of that. And as I have said, it’s no excuse for sending a private message after the game, but it helps us understand the build-up and frustrations — that’s where the reactions come from.”

Earlier this week, Port coach Ken Hinkley said he hoped the Rioli saga would be a watershed moment for the AFL in dealing with racism.

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said it would take a whole-of-industry approach to properly address the issue when he helped launch the Sir Doug Nicholls Round in Darwin on Tuesday.