AFL Daily: Luke Beveridge takes aim at journalist for being too critical of Tom Boyd

The AFL journalist who believes he was the target of Luke Beveridge's "black soul" comments doesn't exactly know why the Western Bulldogs coach has an issue with him, saying it was "sad" he used Tom Boyd's retirement to to “leverage his hatred” of him.

Melbourne is ready for another shot at West Coast. Picture: AAP Images

AFL journalist Damian Barrett believes he was the target of Luke Beveridge's "black soul" comments doesn't exactly know why the Western Bulldogs coach has an issue with him.

An emotional Beveridge said yesterday he would never forgive a journalist who was too hard on Tom Boyd because of "how black that soul is".

Barrett said he believed those comments were aimed at him.

“I would imagine that they are directed at me. I still don’t have any idea (why),” Barrett said on Triple M on Friday night.

“About a year ago, when Luke also used a Tom Boyd issue and moment to leverage his hatred of me ... it’s wrong, it’s unfortunate and it’s sad, I think, that Luke Beveridge needs to use Tom Boyd moments to leverage the hatred that he has.”

Boyd, who arrived at the Dogs on a multi-million contract and helped deliver a drought-breaking premiership in 2016, retired on Thursday as he continues to deal with mental health issues, a struggle that has mostly taken place behind closed doors.

But Beveridge – who said he never measured Boyd's worth on the size of his pay packet – was unforgiving during his press conference of what he saw as unfair attacks on the young forward.

"There's no doubt at times that I thought there were people (who were) too hard and too keen to scrutinise, to drag him down, you probably know who they are – one in particular – and that just shows the sheer lack of conscience and drive to be nasty," he said.

"That will never be forgiven by anyone at our football club. That's a real shame.

"That's a real choice that a certain journalist might make and it's just a window into that person's soul and how black that soul is.

"That's always been really, really disappointing.

"(I've) continually defended him (Boyd) and stood up for him and supported him, and even when we knew internally things weren't right there was no way we were going to let anyone know the struggles that he was going through, he was doing everything he could to play footy for our football club.

"There's no doubt that that was part of it, it gave nasty individuals leverage to go down that track."

Tom Boyd with Luke Beveridge.

Barrett said Beveridge's antipathy with him may date back to the 2015 elimination final when allegations emerged Bulldogs defender Michael Talia had leaked inside information of his team's game plan to brother and Adelaide defender Daniel.

“The issue that Luke has with me predates anything to do with Tom Boyd. It goes back to the Michael Talia and Daniel Talia situation in 2015, and it may extend into the 2016 season when he and others at the football club lied about why Tom Boyd was playing VFL football at the time,” Barrett said.

“And that related to him having a bar room incident with a teammate, in Zaine Cordy, where a fist or something was thrown to the point where Zaine had a mark under his eye, and he’d been disciplined.

“The club had conveniently lied about that moment to me personally, and the general football public, but then came clean on it once they were called out.

“If that’s what he’s relating to, because that’s the only comments I’ve made about Tom Boyd ... I’m in two minds as to whether to just leave it or to try and explain it.

“I think it’s sad and unfortunate that for the second time in a year, Luke Beveridge has gone down this path, using Tom Boyd as the lynch(pin).”

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Originally published as AFL Daily: Luke Beveridge takes aim at journalist for being too critical of Tom Boyd