Brian Taylor under fire as footy fans call for him to be removed from Channel 7
Angry fans have lashed out and called for Channel 7 commentator Brian Taylor to be stood down over remarks he made on Friday night.
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AFL commentator Brian Taylor has once again found himself in the firing line of angry footy fans.
Taylor has long drawn criticism from sections of fans for his work behind the microphone for Channel 7 and on Friday night his name quickly began trending on X for all the wrong reasons.
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The 62-year-old former Collingwood and Richmond forward has often been called out by fans over favourable comments in the direction of certain players while he has on multiple occasions been questioned over biased commentary when calling Collingwood games.
But on Friday night it was comments he made regarding one questionable incident that drew the ire of the footy world.
In the opening minute of Carlton’s contest against Geelong at the MCG, Cats star Patrick Dangerfield was pinged for a dangerous tackle on Sam Walsh.
Fans were split on who was at fault for the incident with Taylor attracting backlash after appearing to indicate Walsh had initiated the contact with the turf.
“Gee that almost looked like Paddy was trying to hold him up and Sam was trying to make contact with the ground,” he said on Channel 7 as replays rolled.
“But nevertheless I agree with the decision, dangerous tackle it was.”
Those remarks from Taylor didn’t sit well with fans with one launching a petition for Channel 7 to remove Taylor from the commentary box.
“My love for watching footy has always been intertwined with the thrill of a good game and insightful commentary. Unfortunately, the latter has been consistently marred by the presence of Brian Taylor,” the petition, launched by avid footy fan Kent Hodder, read.
“His biased viewpoints, lack of understanding of the rules, and overall incompetence have tarnished the enjoyment of countless games.
“His inability to fully comprehend and explain the rules causes confusion and casts doubt over his credibility.
“The role of a commentator is vital in providing accurate, unbiased, and insightful views to enhance the experience of watching the games and unfortunately, Brian Taylor is falling grossly short of this expectation.”
At the time of writing 122 people have signed the petition for Taylor to be moved on from his commentary role with Channel 7.
Fans on social media were just as irate with the AFL great as they lashed out over his “appalling” remarks.
One user wrote: “Brian Taylor... shouldn’t be allowed to commentate. He has now said multiple times that Sam Walsh intentionally put his head into the ground.”
A second added: “Brian Taylor... claiming Walsh propelled himself into the ground. Watch the vision, Dangerfield pins both arms and then Walsh’s knees buckle under the tackle. Appalling interpretation.”
A third wrote: “Brian Taylor on numerous occasions asserting Sam Walsh is banging his head into the ground. @7AFL is pathetic if they allow him to continue to say such s**t.”
Despite the backlash thrown his way, Taylor wasn’t the only one to believe Walsh was at fault with AFL great Luke Hodge stating Dangerfield couldn’t have done any more to try and protect Walsh.
“I thought he did everything he could do to protect him,” Hodge said at quarter time on Channel 7’s coverage.
Taylor added: “So do I.”
Hodge continued: “He dropped his body weight, had his bum to the ground first it was just that last head flick that the umpire saw.”
A video of the incident was uploaded to X by Channel 7 with the caption: “Is Patrick Dangerfield in trouble for this dangerous tackle?”
It quickly drew a wide number of comments, a large number of which held the same view as the Channel 7 commentator.
One wrote: “Walsh had his arms pinned, felt that and threw his head forward into the ground to win the free.”
A second added: “No! Walsh threw his head into the ground.”
A third suggested: “Walsh is in trouble for staging.”
The latest incident joins a long list of times Taylor has come under fire from footy fans for his work behind the microphone.
Taylor was called out earlier in the season with fans questioning his favourable commentary in the direction of Essendon player Jake Kelly during the Anzac Day clash.
He also copped heat from fans during the finals last season over his biased commentary during Collingwood’s win over Melbourne.
Despite his name often hitting trending lists on social media, not all footy fans sit in the same boat when it comes to Taylor’s commentary with countless fans lapping up the work he does behind the microphone during games and post-game when he heads into the rooms for his infamous ‘Roaming Brian’ segment.
News.com.au has contacted Channel 7 for comment.
Originally published as Brian Taylor under fire as footy fans call for him to be removed from Channel 7
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