Cotton "disrespected" by AOC

Three-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton says he felt “disrespected” by the Australian Olympic Committee, following a messy battle in his bid to gain Australian citizenship.

Cotton has been banned from applying for citizenship until 2025, after it was ruled he was in Australia illegally in 2021.

According to the West Australian, “Cotton attended a meeting at the Home Affairs Department in Victoria where his normal visa was cancelled and replaced with a Distinguished Talent Visa, in a move he thought would speed up his citizenship dream. But the government has classified the 30 minutes he spent waiting for paperwork to be processed as him being in the country without a visa”.

It's been reported that the AOC and Basketball Australia were to lobby the government to use discretionary powers to give Cotton eligibility to play for his adopted country.

But according to the article, the AOC demanded Basketball Australia guaranteed Cotton’s position in the Boomers’ team.

“The AOC said they were going to do something and then when it came time to do it, they changed their mind at the last second when we needed something from them,” Cotton told The West Australian.

“I just felt that was disrespectful and would rather it have been a ‘no’ from the start. The fact we are in this position when we didn’t have to be, and they said they were willing to help and then changed their mind, that’s what turns me off now. I felt disrespected from that standpoint.”

Former Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson has been among several experts who’ve pushed for Cotton to be called up for next year’s Paris Olympics.

The West Australian claims Perth lawyers are aiming to have the visa decision reviewed, and overturned.

Read the full story here >> Bryce Cotton citizenship: Perth Wildcats star ‘disrespected’ by Australian Olympic Committee’s stance