‘Choosing to call it a day’: Craig Hutchison breaks silence on sudden Channel 9 departure

Craig Hutchison has opened up on why after 18 years hosting Nine’s Footy Classified he opted to “hang the boots up”, saying the network was “not going to miss me for a second”.

Craig Hutchison has announced he is leaving Channel 9 after 18 years with Footy Classified.

Craig Hutchison has broken his silence on his decision to step down as host of Nine’s Footy Classified after 18 years.

Hutchison, chief executive of Sports Entertainment Group, is leaving Nine due to his production company called Rainmaker expanding its work with Seven next year.

Hutchison said he had a “great run” and “loved every minute” of Footy Classified.

Craig Hutchison with co-hosts on Footy Classified in 2011.

“After the show on Tuesday night I let my colleagues know that I was choosing to call it a day and hang the boots up from an extraordinary run at Footy Classified over 18 years,” he said on his Sounding Board podcast on Friday.

“In advance I had contacted Eddie (McGuire) and set up a time to go and see him on Wednesday, not because I needed to, but out of respect because originally Eddie was the one that gave me the opportunity to go to Nine and host that show in the first place.

“Then I let the Nine execs know on Wednesday that I didn’t intend to continue.”

Caroline Wilson, Craig Hutchison and Kane Cornes have all left Channel 9. Picture: Channel 9

Hutchison said his loyalty to the show was the reason why he stayed for 18 years.

“It was a bit more combative in the early days, there was no room for the faint hearted, it was the hot seat, there was lots of angst and anger,” he said.

“It found a bit more of a modern contemporary tone as it went on.

“It’s been a wild ride and a lot of fun.”

Hutchison refused to say whether he would appear on Seven’s new Monday night show next year.

“If I’m ever on television again it will be in line with our business and it won’t be in any other way,” he said.

“If I’m not on television ever again, I’m comfortable with that.”

Channel 9 held crisis talks around its flagship footy show Footy Classified in light of three panel members defecting to rival network Channel 7.

Hutchison said Nine executives asked him not to mention about his departure while he was on-air.

“Nine was entitled to say no mention of this on air tonight,” he said.

“It was not an unreasonable request.

“It was a little bit awkward around the place but that’s OK.”

Hutchison said he was not going to be missed as there were other “options”.

“Channel Nine are not going to miss me for a second, they have got so many options,” he said.

“Nine moved on without me once before very, very quickly and they will do it again.

“I would like to think when it didn’t go my way on Thursday, that I acted respectfully and with a little bit of dignity, I would hope that happens in return.”

Originally published as ‘Choosing to call it a day’: Craig Hutchison breaks silence on sudden Channel 9 departure