AFL identity Eddie McGuire has set fire to Jeremy Finlayson after the suspended Port Adelaide star was angered by his ban for uttering a highly offensive slur on the field.
Finlayson, 28, is currently sidelined for three games following a homophobic slur he directed at an Essendon player earlier this month during the Gather Round, but the key forward caused a stir this week after admitting to the relationship of his wife. shit talkers podcast was “pissed” about the ban.
He later clarified his comments, stating he “should have provided more context”, but former Collingwood president McGuire believes the embattled star should receive another sanction from the AFL.
“In this case, it wouldn’t be beyond the AFL’s power to say ‘if you come back, there’s an additional two-week suspension’,” fumed McGuire.
‘You’re not listening. You’re not understanding. You didn’t realize how this put everyone in the industry and the entire AFL under pressure, including [Port Adelaide] President David Koch.
‘Keep it to yourself.’
AFL identity Eddie McGuire has set fire to Jeremy Finlayson after the suspended Port Adelaide star became angry with his wife’s podcast.
Finlayson, 28, is currently sidelined for three games following a homophobic slur he uttered against an Essendon player earlier this month during the Gather Round.
On his wife’s podcast this week, Finlayson stated that he was “pissed” about being suspended for three weeks.
The furore began again when Finlayson addressed his ban on his wife Kellie’s podcast, which was published on Tuesday.
In a segment called ‘good, bad and offensive’ talking points of the week, Finlayson said: ‘My ‘offensive’ is that I was angry that I got suspended for three weeks.
‘That’s all. That has pushed me to the limit. That’s all. “We’ll leave it there and move on.”
The content soon went viral on social media and Finlayson attracted more unwanted headlines.
Finlayson with wife Kellie, who is battling stage four bowel cancer, and daughter Sophia in the sheds after a match at Port Adelaide.
“I said, ‘I was pissed that I got suspended for three weeks, that’s all, that pushed me over the edge.’ We’ll leave it at that,” Finlayson said in a club statement Wednesday.
‘As I rethink my comments, it is clear that I should have provided more context. On second thought, I should have explained that I was bitterly disappointed that I said what I did during the game.
“And I’m very disappointed to have put myself and the club in the position I found myself in.
‘That’s what bothers me the most.
‘What I said on the field that night was totally unacceptable. I knew it then and I know it now. “I emphasize that I have no problem with the sanction.”
Kellie Finlayson was just 25 when she received the shocking news that she had terminal cancer, but she has been battling the disease and hopes to recover to raise her young daughter.
Kellie Finlayson is battling stage four terminal bowel cancer and Finlayson opened up about the ongoing stress of that diagnosis on the family on his wife’s podcast.
“Looking back, I should have reached out more,” he said.
‘As a man, most men try to put on a brave face, saying ‘I’ll be right’… that’s when things really get the better of a human and take the worst of him.
“It wasn’t at that moment for me, it was after about 18 months of dealing with it, it took its toll on me.”
As part of Finlayson’s sanction, he is required to attend a Pride In Sport training program which he must pay for himself.
Finlayson will return for the derby against the Adelaide Crows in round eight.