AFL Melbourne v Bulldogs: Luke Beveridge apologises for outburst at journalist Tom Morris

Luke Beveridge apologised and the Bulldogs made a strong statement of their own on Thursday. But the coach’s outburst had CEO Ameet Bains worried.

Western Bulldogs chief executive Ameet Bains says the club has “no doubts” around Luke Beveridge’s state of mind to continue coaching the side.

But Bains conceded he did have some initial “concerns” after Beveridge launched an extraordinary verbal attack on Fox Footy’s Tom Morris during his post-match media conference on Wednesday night.

After his side went down to reigning premiers Melbourne at the MCG, Beveridge accused Melbourne-supporting Morris of “gutter” journalism and “preying” on the Bulldogs after he broke a story around Lachie Hunter’s selection in the side.

He backtracked in a prepared statement on Thursday, saying his outburst was not “consistent” with the Bulldogs’ values.

The Bulldogs have agreed to donate $20,000 to youth mental health organisation Orygen, following Beveridge’s tirade.

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Luke Beveridge launched a sensational verbal attack towards Fox Footy’s Tom Morris on Wednesday night. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos

Herald Sun chief football reporter Mark Robinson wrote that questions of whether Beveridge was in the right mindset to continue coaching the Bulldogs had to be asked.

When asked on Sportsday, Bains said he did initially have concerns for Beveridge’s welfare but backed the senior coach.

“You certainly have concerns knowing someone intimately and working with them day in day out when something like it transpires which is out of character but was so profound at the same time,” he said.

“So you are concerned about the individual’s welfare and that was at the forefront of the conversations we’ve had with Luke and how we better and best support him going forward.

“I can understand why there might be an element of questioning that but we don’t have any doubts of him being in the right state of mind to coach the team.

“It was disappointing, it was inappropriate the club has made a really strong statement in addition to Luke’s apology but we don’t think it has any longer term ramifications on the ability for him to coach the team against Carlton in Round 2 and beyond.”

Bains said Beveridge was “genuinely remorseful” on Thursday.

Bulldogs CEO Ameet Bains and Beveridge at training. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

He also said the club was trying to get to the bottom of leaks at the club.

“That is something that we clearly need to turn our attention to and have been over the last couple of days,” he said.

North Melbourne legend David King said the Bulldogs would be wasting time trying to do this.

“If you are dropped from the side and you are a senior player like Lachie Hunter is then you share that information,” he said on SEN.

“You lean on that information, you lean on a Tom Liberatore, you lean on a Josh Dunkley and those blokes around you for support and then they tell someone and they tell someone and it is out and gone.

“It is very difficult to keep all your information in house, it really is and to go on a witch hunt to find that person you will waste hour after hour.” 

Beveridge: I ‘overstepped’ with journo outburst

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has apologised for his extraordinary attack on a journalist during a post-match press conference on Wednesday night and admitted he had “overstepped the mark”.

Beveridge claimed he was “highly emotional” when he unleashed an unprecedented tirade on Fox Footy’s Tom Morris following the Bulldogs loss to Melbourne.

The premiership coach accused Melbourne-supporting Morris of “gutter” journalism and “preying” on the Bulldogs after the reporter broke a story around team selection.

But Beveridge backtracked in a prepared statement on Thursday, saying his outburst was not “consistent” with the Bulldogs values.

As part of the apology the Bulldogs agreed to donate $20,000 to youth mental health organisation Orygen.

Beveridge’s heated attack followed two Morris selection exclusives across the past six months.

Morris had revealed that Ryan Gardner had been dropped by Beveridge in the lead up to last year’s grand final and again this week broke a story saying the Bulldogs had not selected Lachie Hunter for Round 1.

“You’ve got the nerve to ask me a question and even be here,” Beveridge said in his post-match press conference.

“Your gutter journalism at the moment is killing us behind the scenes.

“You’ve been preying on us ... you’ve been opening us up, causing turmoil within our football club by declaring our team well before it needs to be declared.

“This is why the health and wellbeing in the game is caught up in all this stuff because we’ve got things to concentrate on performance-wise, we’ve got to look after our own and then you cause all this muckraking trash that happens behind the scenes and names get brought up into it.

“You’re an embarrassment to what you do, an absolute embarrassment.”

SCROLL DOWN TO READ BEVERIDGE’S FULL APOLOGY

Luke Beveridge addresses his players during last night’s season opener.

Beveridge’s stage-managed apology on Thursday came after a series of tense in-house meetings between the Bulldogs and discussions with the AFL throughout the day.

In a recorded video, Beveridge said his actions were not “consistent” with the Bulldogs values.

“I have reflected on my comments and actions from the post-game press conference after last night’s game and acknowledge that my exchange with journalist Tom Morris overstepped the mark,” he said.

“I recognised that what I did was not okay. It was not representative of our club culture which is so special and means so much to me.

“While I was highly emotional in the moments after a difficult loss, it is no excuse to let those emotions spill over and get the better of me.”

The AFL also released a statement saying Beveridge’s behaviour was neither acceptable nor appropriate.

“A press conference environment, regardless of the emotion that football can evoke, should always be a professional environment where all participants engage in a respectful manner,” the league said.

Western Bulldogs president Kylie Watson-Wheeler said the club “sincerely apologises to Tom for the incident”.

“It is important to us that Tom is OK,” Watson-Wheeler said.

“Our CEO Ameet Bains and I have had extensive and frank discussions with Luke today.

“From the very beginning of those discussions this morning, Luke made clear that he understood his behaviour was inappropriate and he is deeply remorseful.”

Beveridge admitted on Wednesday night the Bulldogs had a problem with in-house leaks and did not dispute Morris’s stories about Gardner and Hunter being correct.

Essendon coach Ben Rutten said the relationship between a coach and the media was an important one.

“They are an important part of our game,” Rutten said.

“My approach is to make sure there is some transparency and a good relationship going both ways.”

Western Bulldogs legend Doug Hawkins said Beveridge would be concerned how selection information had “leaked out” of the club.

“Somehow it has got out of the club and someone at the club has let it leak which is not good. He will be filthy on that,” Hawkins said.

STATEMENT FROM SENIOR COACH LUKE BEVERIDGE

I have reflected on my comments and actions from the post-game press conference after last night’s game and acknowledge that my exchange with journalist Tom Morris overstepped the mark.

I want to apologise for my behaviour. I want to apologise to Tom Morris and all those present last night and to our members, supporters, partners and the wider football community.

We have strong values at the Bulldogs that we all sign up to. They are values that I believe in and support and live. My actions last night were not consistent with those values or the way we go about business as a football club, or I go about life as an individual.

I recognised that what I did was not okay. It was not representative of our club culture which is so special and means so much to me. While I was highly emotional in the moments after a difficult loss, it is no excuse to let those emotions spill over and get the better of me.

As people would know, I am extremely passionate about, and protective of, our players and our people, and I always have their welfare and their best interests at heart. I pride myself on being measured and thoughtful, however on this occasion I clearly didn’t handle it the way I should have, and I understand and accept that.

The last thing I want is for my actions to reflect negatively on the Western Bulldogs Football Club and our culture. As I’ve said many times, I want our members and supporters to be proud of their Club on and off the field and to be proud of the way we conduct ourselves at all times, and I’ll continue to strive for that.

I take accountability for my actions. We will work through that as a club and I will focus on getting the best out of the team for the remainder of the season, and my energies will be centred on preparing our players for our next game against Carlton.

STATEMENT FROM PRESIDENT KYLIE WATSON-WHEELER

The Western Bulldogs Football Club cannot and does not condone senior coach Luke Beveridge’s handling of his post-game press conference exchange with Tom Morris last night. The Club sincerely apologises to Tom for the incident. It is important to us that Tom is OK.

Our CEO Ameet Bains and I have had extensive and frank discussions with Luke today. From the very beginning of those discussions this morning, Luke made clear that he understood his behaviour was inappropriate and he is deeply remorseful.

Luke also understands that his conduct in the press conference was not reflective of the values of the Western Bulldogs and has shone a negative light on the Club. Everyone is entitled to a respectful workplace and we acknowledge the important and sometimes difficult job the football media have to do.

In addition to Luke’s formal apology, the Club has agreed with the AFL to donate $20,000 to Orygen, a key partner of the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation, to assist Orygen with the important work it does in youth mental health.

Luke is a man of strong integrity who leads with heart and soul, caring deeply for everyone at the Western Bulldogs. His passion crossed a line last night and he is aware of that. As a Club, we commit to a thorough process of internal assessment to ensure better outcomes in the future.

Luke is a much loved and valued leader within our club. Our role as a Board, as a management group and as a club as a whole, is to support Luke through the incredible pressures and emotions of the AFL industry as it exists today. We will continue to provide Luke with the resources, guidance and support he needs to perform in his role at the highest level of professionalism.

AFL STATEMENT

The AFL acknowledges that Western Bulldogs Senior Coach Luke Beveridge has today reflected on his actions last night and taken accountability for his behaviour in the post-game press conference last night.

A press conference environment, regardless of the emotion that football can evoke, should always be a professional environment where all participants engage in a respectful manner – this clearly wasn’t acceptable or appropriate conduct last night.

The AFL acknowledges the formal apology from Luke Beveridge and endorsed the club’s $20,000 donation to Orygen, a key partner of the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation, to assist Orygen with the important work it does in youth mental health.

Dogs coach’s history of journo fury

A furious Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has erupted in his post-match media conference regarding the reporting about team selection in the media earlier in the week.

Fox Footy’s Tom Morris broke the news that premiership midfielder Lachie Hunter had not been selected for the Dogs’ round one game against Melbourne on Wednesday night at the MCG, which the Bulldogs lost by 26 points.

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Hunter was subsequently named on Tuesday night, before again being left out of the team in favour of Hayden Crozier, before ultimately being a very late inclusion, replacing Jason Johannisen (leg soreness) who injured himself in the warm-up.

Morris, who broke the initial Hunter story was present in the press conference, and Beveridge could not hide his disgust at the reporting of the story in an extraordinary, almost unprecedented, tirade, despite the journalist getting the story right and Beveridge admitting there is a “leakage” problem at his club.

Luke Beveridge went nuclear in his post-match press conference. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

“You’ve got the nerve to ask me a question and even be here,” Beveridge said when Morris asked a question.

“You’ve been preying on us ... you’ve been opening us up, causing turmoil within our football club by declaring our team well before it needs to be declared.”

Beveridge alleged that Morris’s story was “gutter” journalism.

“Everything was according to plan from the Sunday which somehow you found out about again,” Beveridge said.

“We need to get to the bottom of this. We need to put our hand up and say that there’s some leakage going on.”

It is the second time Beveridge has launched at Morris.

After the Ryan Gardner story broke in Grand Final week last year — revealing that Gardner would not play — Morris received a phone call from a furious Bulldogs coach at 11pm.

Morris endured a harrowing spray, an incident the Bulldogs chief executive Ameet Bains was told about, yet did nothing about.

Beveridge said such “journalism at the moment is killing us behind the scenes”.

Fox Footy’s Tom Morris.

“This is why the health and wellbeing in the game is caught up in all this stuff because we’ve got things to concentrate on performance-wise, we’ve got to look after our own and then you cause all this ... that happens behind the scenes and names get brought up into it,” Beveridge said.

Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said he was surprised and amazed by Beveridge’s outburst.

“That surprised and amazed me. I was sitting back here ... I just could not believe what I was seeing,” Buckley said on Fox Footy.

“That is not what we have come to know, it’s not what we have come to expect.

“There’s got to be respect both ways, got to understand there’s jobs to do, it’s a big industry.

“The background to this is Tom knew Ryan Gardner wasn’t playing in the grand final and he’s run with that.”

Nathan Buckley was ‘surprised and amazed’ by Bevo’s tirade. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

Buckley said Beveridge has ignited the issue and will now have to face the consequences of a media storm over the coming days.

“Luke has caused that of his own volition he chose to do what he did,” Buckley said on Fox Footy.

“That’s an emotional response and he’s created something that he’s now going to have to handle and deal with over the next two or three days, maybe longer.

“Unfortunately, this is a big story out of tonight.

“This is going to be replayed, it’s going to be gone over.

“Bevo has a great belief in his side and his squad in the way that he sees things and he’s a dog at a bone.

“Like Tom, got that information and shared it because that’s in his nature and his job, Bevo sees this as something he needs to address and he’s just put it out there.

“I’m not surprised that he’s done that because he’s very passionate about his football club and he wants to stamp out the leaked information.

Melbourne great Garry Lyon said Beveridge had got it wrong in his attack on his Fox Footy colleague.

“That’s a poor reflection on him as a coach, I think, in this instance, and I know Luke, I know him well, I know how passionate he is, I know how hard he defends his turf, but he’s let himself down in this instance,” Lyon said.

“Luke doesn’t get to invite who comes to the press conference and who asks questions.”

Originally published as AFL Melbourne v Bulldogs: Luke Beveridge apologises for outburst at journalist Tom Morris