Nathan Buckley backs banned Pie Jaidyn Stephenson over holiday snaps
Collingwood might be struggling, but Nathan Buckley says that should have no bearing on Pie Jaidyn Stephenson’s mid-season holiday, the coach slamming critics and confirming the trip was club sanctioned.
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Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has launched a stinging rebuke on those who criticised banned Pie Jaidyn Stephenson for posting holiday happy snaps with the club in the midst of a poor month of footy.
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Stevenson, who was last month slapped with a 10-week suspension by the AFL for betting on games involving the Pies, posted pictures on Instagram of his family getaway to Cairns, which Buckley says the club sanctioned.
“How dare he be human,” a tongue-in-cheek Buckley said on SEN radio this morning.
“What about the ignorance of him to be a human in this environment, I just can’t believe that Stevo would go and live his life with the rubberstamping of the football club and an understanding of what his program has been.
“I just can’t believe that the young kid would do that and that he would be so human, it’s just amazing.”
AFL great Wayne Carey, among others, whacked Stephenson for “letting the club down”.
But Buckley said his young charge had been “exemplary” in the way he carried himself since the suspension.
“He has had a really strong four-week block where pretty much he’s the best player on the track because he’s chipping into the club’s endeavours the best way that he possibly can,” Buckley said.
“We collectively (decided) — and this is part of his plan — was to spend a week away with his family to recharge and then to come back for another month of heavy training block to prepare him for whatever’s beyond that.
“The young fella has been exemplary in the way that he’s carried himself, I don’t know how many times that I have to say that, but it doesn’t get any cut through because it’s not sexy enough, it’s not controversial enough.
“Unfortunately when Collingwood’s not going well or when we are going well it seems to be ‘we’ll find evidence to why it’s the best it’s ever been or the worst it’s ever been and we just can’t sit in the middle’, it’s not the done thing.”
MORE ON STEPHENSON:
‘Oblivious’ Jaidyn Stephenson sorry for betting on Collingwood games after copping heavy suspension
Collingwood’s hierarchy shocked at revelations Jaidyn Stephenson had bet on AFL games
Carey said the optics of Stevenson posting holiday snaps amid a stretch of three losses in the past four games for the Pies were not good.
“He’s copped his right whack, don’t get me wrong, and he’s allowed to go away but, surely, he’s smart enough not to post things like that,” Carey said on Channel 7.
“He’s up there having a good time, which is fine, you’re allowed to have a good time but don’t post it.
“You bring the heat upon yourself by doing that. It’s just stupidity.”
https://twitter.com/andrewbogut/status/1153246046182502401
And you bananas then wonder why players have mental health issues. 🤦â€â™‚ï¸ https://t.co/vG3no9Fcy2
— Andrew Bogut (@andrewbogut) July 22, 2019
Basketball star Andrew Bogut went into bat for the 20-year-old, slamming the coverage of his getaway, tweeting: “And you bananas then wonder why players have mental health issues.”
Buckley said Bogut was “spot on”.
“It’s everything that’s wrong with the … expectations we have around the people in the industry,” Buckley said.
Stephenson appears to have another rather high profile basketball fan in NBA superstar LeBron James, who liked his Instagram post.
If it’s OK with The King, it should be OK with everyone else, right?
Originally published as Nathan Buckley backs banned Pie Jaidyn Stephenson over holiday snaps
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