Eddie, Carey and Fox Footy

[Proud Pies]

I really liked his joke!

Eddie king hit by gaffe
By Shaun Phillips
March 20, 2003

THE Crows think Wayne Carey deserves an apology. Eddie says he is the victim and he won't be saying sorry to anyone. Fox Footy is too embarrassed to say anything.

That was the state of play last night as football's biggest off-field name was forced to defend what he thought was a private joke at the expense of arguably the game's biggest on-field name.

Eddie McGuire, Collingwood president and Channel 9 footy supremo, was performing a routine sound check from the rooms before Saturday's Wizard Cup final between the Magpies and Adelaide.

Garry Lyon was in the commentary box, and after McGuire had counted to 10 a couple of times, they launched into some inane chatter to give the technicians something to check.

As the clock ticked towards Carey's first official outing with his new team, McGuire decided to inject some humour.

"Apparently their players - the Adelaide players - wanted Carey to play because they didn't want him home with their wives and girlfriends," he said.

It got a laugh from Lyon, and Dermott Brereton. The problem was that thousands of footy nuts were also let in on the joke after Fox Footy included the warm-up in replays - run in Adelaide - on Tuesday morning.

McGuire yesterday denied any embarrassment but said it was highly irregular that a pre-game sound check had made it on air.

McGuire and others in the industry said it appeared almost certainly to be the work of a Foxtel mischief-maker.

McGuire said he would not be apologising to Carey, who is on the Foxtel payroll, or the Crows.

"I think Foxtel owes me an apology," he said.

"I'm waiting to find out how it went to air. I think someone has edited it on and put it to air ... to embarrass me.

"Somebody's put to air a private conversation half an hour before the game.

"It's no big deal. It's a funny line. We'd say it on The Footy Show. We'd say it anywhere.

"I'm not embarrassed. I'm not worried about it, other than the fact that I think it's pretty ordinary that Foxtel has allowed it to happen, and/or deliberately did it."

Crows spokesman Phil Harper said chief executive Steven Trigg would probably speak with McGuire.

"We're not looking at legal action or anything - and nor is Wayne - but it's something that probably should not have been broadcast," Harper said.

"I've spoken to Wayne, and he said it wasn't anything he hadn't heard before. He's not too upset about it.

'I suppose it's a bit of a warning to Eddie not to say those sort of things when the mike is on."

Fox Footy had the shutters well and truly up, but Foxtel television chief Brian Walsh is known to have contacted McGuire to offer an apology.

Foxtel has also apologised to Channel 9.

Walsh said last night the network had no comment.

It's a line that, in hindsight, McGuire would have been wise to adopt in the Magpie rooms on Saturday night.

Herald Sun

[angel]

Eddie must watch his step, there are always people trying to cut important public figures down to size. Must be professional at all times even if the gag was funny.

[fan4collingwood]

[Culprit]

To funny, and I do not see what the problem is. It is the truth afterall.

[dimo]

Storm in a tea cup..A waste of time..

[CQ]