Sam Newman has surprisingly admitted he will not boo the welcome to country ceremony at the Grand Final this weekend, despite urging AFL fans to do so.
Newman, 77, explosively called on football fans to drown the pre-match ceremony with jeers last week, but it had the opposite effect and fans applauded instead.
Since then, there have been calls for the broadcaster and former player to be kicked out of the Hall of Fame.
But despite his scathing criticism of the ceremony, Newman said he would not boo it during this weekend’s Grand Final between Collingwood and Brisbane.
“I wouldn’t boo at the grand final, but it was just a flippant statement, I don’t agree with the Welcome to Country at the grand final,” he said on his podcast.
Sam Newman made surprising admission after comments on Welcome to Country
Former football star called for ceremony to be booed by AFL fans
“What I mean is, every single thing you visit now, you go to a library, you go anywhere, it all starts with that.
“It all makes you feel guilty for being here.
“When is it ever enough to say “wait a minute, that’s enough, how far do we want to go?”
Newman added that the welcome-to-country ceremony does not “unite us.”
“I said last week that we should boo Welcome to Country, that was an outlandish statement.
“(Welcome to Country has) gone too far and the social elites are only trying to exploit their own white prejudices by feeling virtuous for continuing down this path.
“That’s why I criticized the AFL, it’s become a minefield of nonsense, they need to take it down.
“(It) doesn’t unite us, that’s what I mean. Showing up at the MCG on the big final day and saying ‘you’re welcome to the country and we give you permission to play on the field’, that doesn’t unite us.
He doubled down on that stance, but insisted he wouldn’t boo him himself.
“It shows the world that we are a divided nation, that’s what I mean.”
The former football player was criticized by former premier Daniel Andrews and AFL chief Gillon McLachlan for his comments.
Ahead of the upcoming Voice to Parliament referendum, Newman made his views clear on how he would vote.
“Kevin Rudd, when he was prime minister, apologized for what happened,” he added.
“Why wasn’t that enough?
“There are 10 to 11 indigenous politicians for 2.5 to 3% of the indigenous population.
“Why do we need the Voice if there are 11 people representing your people, our people? »
