Fremantle senior coach Ross Lyon says footy fans should embrace the game’s great players like Adam Goodes.

The crowd’s treatment of the two-time Brownlow Medallist has drawn condemnation from many football pundits and the AFL, which released a statement regarding the matter yesterday.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said it was impossible to separate a racist element from the ‘booing’ Goodes had received from supporters at Sunday’s clash with West Coast at Domain Stadium.

McLachlan urged supporters to consider the toll the behaviour was having on Goodes and the game.

Lyon told Channel Seven that he praised the AFL for its stance on the matter.

“I saw the statement from Gillon McLachlan today and it’s a step forward,” he said.

“It gives us all some education and a way forward to handle the situation.

“We should be embracing our great players and not getting caught up in the emotion and mob mentality.”