Media Street: How returning David Schwarz dealt with resentment and anger in the wake of 2017 sacking by SEN

When David Schwarz was at his lowest point, SEN was there for him. Now as he returns to the station that sacked him in 2017, the former Demons star has credited it with saving his life.

HOLD FOR THE HERALD SUN PIC DESK----David Schwarz is talking about being free of gambling for 15 years. Picture: Alex Coppel.

David Schwarz says working at SEN “saved my life” during his darkest times.

The former Melbourne champion, who returns to SEN airwaves this weekend, also revealed he had to get rid of a lot of resentment he felt towards SEN boss Craig Hutchison who fired him back in 2017.

Schwarz will be part of the football commentary team for the 2024 season after he broke bread with Hutchison in recent months.

Speaking on the ‘Couple of Blokes’ podcast with pro golfer Mark Allen – who he worked with at SEN for more than a decade – the former gambling addict spoke about the importance the sports station had in getting his life on track.

David Schwarz with his former SEN co-host and podcast co-host Mark Allen.

Allen said the station got his friend “off the canvas” when he got a gig after cost cutting saw Hawthorn great Dermott Brereton depart with Schwarz taking the job for a bargain basement $80,000 salary.

“When he (Ox) talks about what SEN did for him, I don’t think people understand, it got him off the canvas, it got him a job, it kept him away from the tracks, it gave him a level of comfort for him and his family,” Allen said.

Schwarz then added: “SEN saved my life, it did.”

He referred to the shock return as “going home” and explained how he got over his issues with Hutchison who he publicly attacked a number of times following his sacking, saying he’d “ruined SEN”.

“We started talking again with Hutchy about, I don’t know, let’s say six months ago. But it’s funny how the world works. And it’s funny how we go around in circles and you start looking at yourself and working out,” Schwarz said.

David Schwarz has credited SEN with saving his life. Picture: Alex Coppel.

“I think whenever you leave a marriage or you leave a relationship, or a job and it doesn’t end on a good note, there’s a lot of resentment and a lot of hate and a lot of hurt that goes with it.

“Since I’ve been working at the rehab (centre), one of the big things we talk about is resentment, jealousy and hate. And you’ve just got to get rid of it. And if you don’t get rid of it, it just burns you up and eats you up and you end up self -destructing and not getting to where you need to get to.”

When asked how he got rid of all the ill-feeling and what techniques he used, Schwarz said: “Confronting the circumstances. So the circumstances for my jealousy, hate, resentment was that I got the arse. And when you get the arse, you’re hurt.

“But then you actually, then about six months ago, I’m doing some stuff with some of our clients and then I started working on it myself. I thought, hang on a minute, Craig Hutchison came into SEN, he had a plan and his plan was to change things up and do things a little bit differently.

David Schwarz has patched up his differences with SEN owner Craig Hutchison

“That’s his business model and I wasn’t in those plans. Now, that’s not because Craig Hutchison hated me or it’s not because I wasn’t good at what I did but his plan was different and I wasn’t in that plan.

“So for the last six years I’ve kind of sat around thinking, you know, what a prick he is, when really, it wasn’t personal. It was to do with his plan.

“So being able to compartmentalise and just break it down just made it clear. When we broke bread and we had a chat, and then when he gave me the news the other day, he said, “Are we going to do this? I said, “Yeah, I’m ready to go”.

“And he said, ‘Let’s start afresh. Don’t worry about what’s happened in the past, and let’s go. Let’s get things going’.”

Originally published as Media Street: How returning David Schwarz dealt with resentment and anger in the wake of 2017 sacking by SEN