Triple M finally responds to Eddie McGuire drowning joke controversy

NINE days after the Eddie McGuire drowning joke controversy began, McGuire’s employer has finally reacted.

It’s been another huge week in football for former The Footy Show colleagues James Brayshaw and Eddie McGuire.

EDDIE McGuire has escaped punishment from Triple M for his unacceptable comments toward Caroline Wilson in the drowning joke controversy.

Nine days after McGuire offered to put up $50,000 to watch the female AFL journalist held under water, his employer decided the “public censure” of his comments were enough to change his behaviour.

“Triple M acknowledges the widespread public condemnation of comments made on Triple M Football last week. The comments were inappropriate and unacceptable, disrespectful to Caroline Wilson and to women in general. Triple M apologises to its listeners, the wider community and Caroline Wilson,” Head of Regulatory Affairs and Corporate Communications Creina Chapman said in a statement.

“The Triple M employees involved in an on-air discussion before the Freeze MND have been counselled and each have apologised for their remarks and acknowledged the importance of stamping out language and behaviour that encourages or appears to tacitly endorse violence, most particularly against women.

“The broadcast staff of all Triple M stations have been reminded that language of this nature is not acceptable and there is no context that makes it acceptable. We recognise that continued and further education is necessary to ensure that all staff understand what is acceptable and what won’t be tolerated.

“We have arranged for all our on air staff to undergo training from White Ribbon and to enable them to further promote their message, this weekend Triple M will be donating its on-ground digital signage to White Ribbon.

“Triple M has carefully considered whether further disciplinary action is required and believes that the public censure of the comments and the actions taken by the AFL community should be a sufficient incentive for a change in behaviour.”

The Magpies president was one of the celebrities who took part in the second ice bath slide last Monday at the Queen’s Birthday holiday match between his team and Melbourne.

McGuire appeared on Triple M and suggested Wilson should be the only participant in next year’s charity ice slide at the Freeze MND charity match.

He said he would pay $50,000 if she stayed under water, before going on to describe Wilson as “like a black widow”.

Fellow Triple M commentator and North Melbourne president James Brayshaw said he would pledge money in response to McGuire’s comments, while former St Kilda great and Fox Footy personality Danny Frawley said: ‘I’ll actually jump in and make sure she doesn’t (surface) — I’ll hold her under”.

All three men have since apologised for their parts in the conversation. It took six days for the radio exchange to come to wider media attention.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan condemned the comments, but stopped short of sanctioning McGuire, despite having broad powers to do so.

Eddie McGuire takes part in the Big Freeze Ice Slide challenge fundraising event for Motor Neurone Disease before the Melbourne and Collingwood round 12 match at the MCG.

MALTHOUSE: PIES RIGHT TO RETAIN EDDIE

Former Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse backed the AFL club’s decision to retain McGuire as president in the wake of the controversy.

McGuire survived in his role after a board meeting on Tuesday night, despite the club potentially losing a major sponsor and public outcry in the wake of his disparaging on-air remarks about Wilson.

But Malthouse, who endured a number of McGuire controversies during his 12-year tenure at the Magpies, said he understood the difficult position placed on the club’s administration.

“You’ve got to be very careful about if you minimise the impact of your president in this case, where he’s really a one-man band in getting us to where we got to,” Malthouse told SEN Breakfast. “When I first arrived at Collingwood we were broke, we had very poor facilities, virtually forgotten. We hadn’t been in the finals for a number of years.

“He didn’t kick the football, but he did set up a number of things for the Collingwood Football Club.”

Despite that, Malthouse admitted there were times he wished McGuire would keep out of the media spotlight. “There were moments where you would just rather keep going with football,” Malthouse said.

Malthouse said the AFL was right to make a statement against McGuire on Monday. “The AFL and clubs have got to have a stance and live up to that stance,” he said. “It’s a bigger organisation just then a football organisation.”

— with AAP

Originally published as Triple M finally responds to Eddie McGuire drowning joke controversy