‘Bitter’: Caroline Wilson slams Sam Newman over kneeling stance

Caroline Wilson accused Sam Newman of having a “terrible history”. The former Footy Show star has now pointed to her own skeletons.

Veteran footy journalist Caroline Wilson on Monday night took aim at Sam Newman after the Footy Show star’s criticism of AFL players kneeling in support of Black Lives Matters.

Newman posted several times on Twitter over the weekend condemning the move and also compared AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan to NFL supremo Roger Goodell, who recently apologised for a former stand against kneeling in his league.

Wilson used her Footy Classified segment on Monday night to scold Newman for his “divisive” rant.

Newman on Tuesday returned fire on Twitter, attacking the former senior football reporter at The Age for being “a piece of work”.

Newman’s tweet also pointed to sekeletons in the footy commentator’s closet.

“What a piece of work Caroline Wilson is,” Newman posted.

“My take on kneeling before games is explained, in context, on podcast ‘You Cannot Be Serious’. Check HER record on disabled sport and fellow women commentators. You’ll be staggered.”

He earlier created a social media storm across the weekend while watching the pre-match protests from AFL players supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.

“Apparently the players and umpires will ‘take a knee’ before game tonight. IF that is true, how long before we stop being intimidated into nodding in agreement and question the REAL motives. The game maybe incidental,” he wrote.

“Before the AFL morph themselves completely into a political body, research some FACTS. McLachlan has turned himself into the Goodell of the NFL. IF you’re going to kneel, know WHY you’re kneeling. Stop the preening. It’s bullshit.”

Wilson hit back on Monday night’s episode of Footy Classified.

“Sam Newman said that AFL footballers taking a knee to say that black lives matter were preening and divisive,” she said.

“He said most players didn’t understand why they were kneeling and had been intimidated into it.

“For what it’s worth, I didn’t think it was political, I thought it was social and a united move and it was one that united all the players, black and white, and represented a brotherhood that Newman did not understand and therefore tried to belittle.

“Sam, you’ve got a terrible history in the area of race relations, and you’ve done it again, unleashing a series of bitter and divisive rants.

“What an unfortunate piece of timing that the Sunday Footy Show decided to bring you back this week and portray you as the venerable football bead after you had unleashed so much bitterness.”

Sam Newman infamously appeared in blackface on The Footy Show in 1999.

It created a storm of controversy.

Newman and Footy Show host Eddie McGuire met with AFL player and indigenous leader Nicky Winmar to apologise.

Wilson played audio of AFL Players Association president Patrick Dangerfield talking about the obligation he felt to make a stand.

“We have such a wonderful platform as athletes and we have to use it for more than just kicking a footy,” Dangerfield told 3AW.

“I’d challenge anyone that has an opinion that players should shut up and dribble or just focus on kicking a footy.

“We owe it to our indigenous peoples that we do better than we currently do.”