‘It can’t be that hard can it?’ Eddie McGuire mocks plane crash survivor Cynthia Banham’s coin toss
Eddie McGuire has been caught red-faced after mocking double amputee Cynthia Banhams coin toss before the Sydney Swans versus Adelaide AFL match on Friday night.
Banham, a former Sydney Morning Herald journalist who had both legs amputated after a plane crash in Indonesia in 2007, appeared to struggle as she tossed the coin while holding her walking stick.
Cynthia Banham, pictured in Good Weekend last year.Credit:James Brickwood
“I think we should introduce a $5000 fine to anybody whos tossing the coin and cant do it properly,” begins a clearly oblivious McGuire.
“Every week, we have someone dropping it on their foot. Come on, toss it up properly, for goodness sake. Practise in the week, you know youre going to do it. It cant be that hard can it, guys?”
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Banham was a foreign affairs and defence correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald at the time of the Garuda Indonesia crash in March 2007 that killed 21 people and left her with burns to 60 per cent of her body.
She is now a Sydney Swans ambassador and holds a Doctor of Philosophy – acquired after the 2007 crash – and a Masters in International Affairs.
McGuire apologised “unreservedly” at half-time of the Fox Footy broadcast.
“It had nothing to do with Cynthia Bannam, who was the coin tosser tonight at the SCG and has a disability,” the Collingwood president said.
“I just want to apologise if this was communicated in the wrong way, I did not mean to offend anyone, especially Cynthia, and I apologise unreservedly to her, her family and friends, Swans supporters and anybody watching tonight who took it that way. My apologies there, for that comment.”
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