No AFL penalty for Eddie McGuire
The AFL will take no action against Eddie McGuire for embarrassing comments about the Swans No.1 ticket-holder Cynthia Banham when she was tossing the coin.
While Sydney chairman Andrew Pridham had initially called for the AFL to make a stand on McGuire, the league has decided there were no grounds for sanctioning the broadcaster and Collingwood president, who made mocking comments about the quality of the coin toss, without seeing that the coin tosser was Banham, who lost both legs in a plane accident in 2007.
While it is possible for the AFL to sanction McGuire as a club official, it is unclear how any formal penalty could apply to the Collingwood president, who was hosting Fox Footys coverage when he made the gaffe.
The view was that he could not be charged with vilification when the parties accepted that he did not know the coin tosser had a disability.
Advertisement
On Sunday, Pridham was taking a more conciliatory view of the incident, clearly taking into account the impact on Banham if the story dragged on.
The AFL also was mindful of McGuires remorse and profuse apologies to Banham, the Collingwood president having called AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan and AFL chairman Richard Goyder after the Friday night incident, which angered the Swans and has caused McGuire deep embarrassment – the television and radio broadcaster having made inappropriate comments about Sydney great Adam Goodes and The Ages Caroline Wilson in recent years.
Every week, we have someone dropping it on their foot, McGuire said on Friday night as Banham tossed the coin while holdRead More – Source
[contf] [contfnew]
Australian Breaking News Headlines
[contfnewc] [contfnewc]