Sam Newman doubles down on George Floyd comments after Channel 9 exit

After his tenure with the Nine network ended, Sam Newman refused to back down from the comments that led to his downfall.

Sam Newman’s longstanding run with the Channel 9 network came to an end on Friday following explosive remarks he made through the week in relation to George Floyd.

But after “mutually” agreeing to part ways, the former Geelong Cats player wasn’t going to back away from his comments, instead he decided to double down on his stance.

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The 74-year-old sparked fierce backlash after making damning comments on his podcast You Cannot Be Serious over George Floyd while also taking aim at NBA superstar LeBron James and calling for Black Lives Matter protests to end.

While describing Floyd’s death as “disgraceful”, Newman suggested the pedestal he was being put up on as the face of the Black Lives Matter movement was wrong because of his history.

“George Floyd … is piece of s***,” Newman said on his podcast You Cannot Be Serious. “He has been in jail five times, he held up a pregnant black woman with a knife, he’s a drug addict, he’s a crackhead and he’s a pornstar.”

“He’s dead because of the police brutality and it never should have happened. But I am telling you who George Floyd is, now they’ve made a monument about him and he’s a piece of s***”.

Let’s see how this gets reported. Can’t wait. The 9 network and I have MUTUALLY decided that, in the station’s best interests, I withdraw form appearing on their programs - forthwith. And, for me, the last 35-odd years have been fantastic. Really! @Channel9

— Sam Newman (@Origsmartassam) June 19, 2020

The severe backlash saw the Nine Network bring an end to their on-air relationship with Newman, but a day after parting with the company Newman refused to back down from his remarks.

“How in God’s name could you say that was controversial what I said about him,” Newman said to the Herald Sun.

“I could have easily said, and probably should have if I had known it was going to be reported verbatim, that he is of unsavoury character.

“The point is why are making a martyr out of Geoge Floyd, we should be condemning the police brutality.

“What I said about him is absolutely accurate.”

Newman will no longer appear on Channel 9 shows, but will continue to do his podcast alongside Mike Sheahan and Don Scott. He said he had no regrets over his comments.

“No regrets at all, it doesn’t affect me at all in the slightest,” he told the Sunday Herald Sun.

Newman back during his days on the Footy Show.

Former Collingwood star Heritier Lumumba blasted Newman for his comments and accused him of not seeing black people as “human”.

“Sam Newman is doing exactly what he has always done. He is consistent with his bigotry, unwavering with his prejudice, and unapologetic with his tone deafness,” Lumumba wrote on Twitter.

“He is one of the reasons why I ALWAYS refused to appear on the footy show.

“Unsurprisingly, Newman’s comments re: George Floyd show that (he) doesn’t have a clue about what the #BlackLivesMatter is about. ANY black victim of extrajudicial execution by police or vigilantes deserves recognition by the BLM movement, as they are human beings, first and foremost.

“George Floyd’s criminal past shouldn’t disqualify him from being seen as a human being first. Police aren’t conducting background checks before shooting, beating or kneeling on the necks of black people. Why? Because they don’t see us as human. Newman doesn’t sees us as human.”

Earlier in the week after Newman had tweeted about his opposition to AFL players taking a knee, urging them to “stop the preening”, veteran AFL reporter Caroline Wilson blasted him for his “terrible history in the area of race relations”.

Newman infamously wore blackface on an episode of The Footy Show in 1999 and was forced to apologise to the Indigenous community.