Mark Robinson: Luke Beveridge’s press conference meltdown was unhinged but is he OK?

It was an extraordinary 24 hours for Luke Beveridge and Tom Morris. The two stories are distant, but at the same time they are not, writes Mark Robinson.

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge lost his cool in the press conference after their round 1 defeat. Picture: Getty

The day after the night before and the Bulldogs and the AFL needed to ask Luke Beveridge one very important question: Are you OK?

It is a serious question.

The same question had to be asked by Fox Footy chiefs of Tom Morris, who was suspended pending an investigation into his distasteful and offensive WhatsApp messages that were made public on Wednesday.

It was an extraordinary 24 hours for the pair.

The spotlight which raged on Beveridge for his outburst towards Morris on Wednesday night post-match was dimmed by the unfolding Morris story on Thursday.

The two stories are distant, but at the same time they are not, and Beveridge might feel a sense of vindication for his strong comments about Morris.

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Not all of his comments, but some of them, and he apologised in a video released on Thursday night.

No one decries freedom of speech, but Beveridge admitted he went too far and his behaviour did not reflect the values of the Western Bulldogs.

“I was highly emotional … that’s no excuse for those emotions to spill over,” Beveridge said.

The AFL was disappointed with Beveridge and said his behaviour “wasn’t acceptable or appropriate conduct”.

Still, Beveridge’s diatribe directed at Morris, although stunning for its rarity from an AFL coach, paled against the alleged comments made by Morris in a WhatsApp message to a group of mates — which was sent on by one of Morris’s mates. And then it was sent on again and again …

The WhatsApp videos include derogatory comments about women and gay people and there also is racism. It was the Triple Crown of Ridicule.

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge lost his cool in the press conference after their round 1 defeat. Picture: Getty

The future of Morris — a close colleague at Fox Footy — appears dim after he was stood down by Fox Footy bosses.

Beveridge’s video message last night was calm and considered, which was in contrast to him seemingly being unhinged in his post-match slaughter of Morris.

Beveridge bullied and humiliated Morris for writing two correct articles about the Bulldogs’ team selection.

One in the lead up to the last year’s grand final. The other this week. Both were correct.

It was the second time Beveridge has launched at Morris.

After the Gardner story broke during grand final week last year, Morris received a phone call from the furious Bulldogs coach at 11pm.

Morris endured a harrowing spray, an incident the Bulldogs chief executive Ameet Bains was told about, yet did nothing.

A standard line from the Bulldogs is, “well, that’s Bevo”.

Well, he found himself in a right mess this time.

Bulldogs CEO Ameet Bains (L) talks to Luke Beveridge.

Beveridge went for the throat. He questioned Morris’s character by suggesting that Morris was a Melbourne supporter and that his articles were written to undermine the Dogs.

“You’ve been preying on us … you’ve been opening us up, causing turmoil within our football club,’’ Beveridge said.

It was unedifying from Beveridge, notwithstanding the events surrounding Morris yesterday.

He hurt his brand, his club’s brand and the AFL’s brand.

He also is a hypocrite in one instance.

He accused Morris’s articles of creating mental health issues for people at his club, while at the same time bullying and abusing Morris in a public domain.

Abuse, character assassination, mental health?

Senior Bulldogs officials, including chief executive Bains, were in constant talks with the AFL yesterday.

It’s not known if the AFL Media Association will get involved.

AFLMA president Damian Barrett and Beveridge have a deep, personal dislike for each other — they had a physical confrontation at Crown Casino several years back — but that shouldn’t play a role in this latest distasteful encounter.

Beveridge certainly has form with journos.

The extraordinary attack also came in the week when the AFL clamped down on players for abusing and swearing and disrespecting umpires.

Journos don’t have a bundle of supporters either, but what kind of competition would the AFL be running if it allowed Beveridge’s behaviour to go unpunished?

The $20,000 donation seems appropriate.

These sort of high-spirited confrontations between coach and journos have happened before, but they are rarely captured by the TV networks.

Luke Beveridge issued an apology on Thursday evening. Picture: Getty

Certainly, they are never seen at televised post-match press conferences, although there is a famous exchange between Terry Wallace and Geoff Poulter hanging around the internet.

In contrast to Beveridge’s rattlesnake venom, Wallace was an angry carpet snake.

Journos in this game for a long time have all had their moments with coaches.

Morris, mind you, had to ask the question of Beveridge before last night’s game.

It was his story about Gardner not playing in the grand final last year and it was his story about Hunter not playing this week.

That’s the underwritten rules of footy journalism: If you write the article, and you’re at the game or press conference, you have to ask the question.

This story started with Beveridge’s explosive comments and ended, at the moment at least, when he apologised.

But at some point on Thursday — through the deeds of a person who stupidly brought Morris to his knees by releasing the WhatsApp messages — the story was hijacked.

It remains that Beveridge brought the game into disrepute and for sure, after watching the press conference again on Thursday, it was awkward and uncomfortable viewing.

It’s partly why we ask “are you OK” because the commentary was so stunning.

Is he under stress like he says other football club staff are under stress?

Was the whole Hunter selection fiasco a bid to flush out the club leak — are we sure it came from the club anyway — and Morris was collateral damage before Morris helped create a world of hurt for himself.

It has been a thoroughly awful start to the season off the ground.

Originally published as Mark Robinson: Luke Beveridge’s press conference meltdown was unhinged but is he OK?