Eddie McGuire was off the mark with his comments that media coverage of Jordan De Goey was bullying, writes Mark Robinson

FOOTY must be on the horizon, because Eddie McGuire is back doing what Eddie does. Whacking everyone who whacks Collingwood. But MARK ROBINSON says Eddie can’t play the victim this time.

Is Eddie McGuire feeling the pressure? Picture: AAP Images

FOOTY must be on the horizon, because Eddie McGuire is back doing what Eddie does.

Whacking everyone who whacks Collingwood.

You have to admire McGuire’s intense love of his Magpies, and footy will miss him when he’s no longer president, but that love is sometimes blind.

On Tuesday, on his Triple M radio program, McGuire labelled the media’s treatment of Jordan De Goey as “almost bullying”.

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Tim Watson agreed on SEN, but McGuire’s stance, barely a day after the Magpies savagely punished P-plater De Goey for drink-driving, is a gobsmacking deflection.

The story surfaced on Sunday, and former Magpies captain Tony Shaw joined the discussion.

The Herald Sun was on board, as were the nightly TV news services, and, by Monday morning, so was the whole media world.

Jordan De Goey has been suspended by the Magpies. Picture: AAP Images

The Magpies released a 14-paragraph statement on Monday afternoon, revealing a raft of penalties, including an alcohol ban and an assessment on which mates De Goey could hang out with.

On top of his lie about his hand injury from a fight 12 months earlier, the penalties were understandable.

As was the coverage.

Everyone feels for the young man because mistakes are made, but, Ed, let’s not play the victim just yet.

De Goey was well over the limit, knew what he was doing and was caught by police.

He brought the spotlight onto the club, highlighted by Shaw, who asked if there was a discipline problem there.

More significantly, he let down his coach Nathan Buckley and his teammates — and not for the first time.

The Herald Sun’s coverage wasn’t vindictive or bullying, as McGuire said.

One piece quoted Rod Grinter — the former Melbourne footballer on the footy program at St Kevin’s, where De Goey attended school — who said he was “easy going and good to coach”, but was “a bit of a lad”.

Maybe Ed didn’t like the insinuation that De Goey’s behavioural problems started after he got to Collingwood, and not because he’s still close to his Skobber mates.

Jordan De Goey training with the Collingwood VFL side. Picture: Tony Gough

Clearly, Ed was working on Triple M but wearing his presidential hat.

As an old news reporter with a hunger to match anyone’s, Ed should know the newsworthiness of the De Goey situation.

Remember, Ed was a key media player in the Essendon supplement saga, and his discussion on his radio program with “Sarah”, the alleged Essendon mother, was as intense as any radio in the past decade.

Pity they didn’t know who “Sarah” was and still don’t.

Pity it inflamed a situation already on red alert.

Pity it triggered a fresh round of bullying of players and key officials involved.

It’s probably why Watson was supportive of McGuire, although when “Sarah” appeared and then vanished without a trace, it’s understood Watson was disillusioned she was put to air in the first place because her bona fides had not been established.

Is Eddie McGuire feeling the pressure? Picture: AAP Images

So, Watson knows bullying.

And so does Ed, who has been accused of bullying others and, no doubt, was on the end of some very tough treatment after his Adam Goodes gaffe.

Still, his show of support to De Goey is what Ed does best when someone’s in trouble — he asks for calm and understanding.

But sometimes Ed plays the man, as he did on Tuesday.

He whacked the Herald Sun for too much coverage, but also whacked Shaw, the 1990 premiership skipper and Norm Smith medallist, 300-gamer and genuine Collingwood royalty.

He dismissed Shaw’s opinion as “dial-a-quote stuff”, which Shaw branded as “disrespectful”.

In essence, Ed was bullying Shaw for asking questions about discipline at the footy club, questions shared by many others.

Ed’s outburst caused headlines because he’s high profile — and maybe that’s part of the problem.

But maybe the real problem is the pressure is already building at Collingwood — on the back of several pre-season ­injuries and now De Goey’s blatant disrespect for his coach and teammates — and Ed is already at Def-Con One.

A month out from a horrid first six weeks of the season, it’s too early to be picking fights.