Another week, and yet another controversy. Well, if we were to be precise, there’s been more than one. Again, The Footy Show was on the receiving end of a myriad of complaints from outraged viewers on Thursday night.
It came as a result of comments from Brownlow Medallist Jimmy Bartel who, following a discussion about his trek through the Kokoda Track during the pre-season, said: “It’s a bit unfortunate what’s been happening there lately. A couple of people have dropped it.”
Two people have died on the trail during the past two weeks. An innocent case of poor word-choice or the ultimate faux pas on national television?
You would hope it is the former, given Bartel’s reputation as a fair player and fine citizen.
He would be last on the list of AFL footballers that you would expect to make such insensitive remarks deliberately.
Following the comments, you could hear Brendan Fevola and Bartel laughing – not, in my opinion, because people had perished, but because the premiership player realised just how bad his choice of words was.
Co-host Garry Lyon clarified, at the conclusion of the program, that Bartel was unaware of the deaths and stated they were not outlined in the show’s rundown.
Bartel is not a natural media performer, but as a high-profile player in the best team in the land, he is in high-demand.
What we hope is that his simple mistake does not result in undeserved criticism being directed at the Geelong midfielder.
I believe his words came as a result of his nerves and the fact he was speaking about such an emotional subject – firstly, the pride he felt on his journey, and then the unfortunate deaths of recent times.
Bartel did seem overwhelmed, naturally, when it was revealed the switchboard had gone into meltdown. But he immediately apologised and you had the feeling it was an honest mistake.
We are only human, right? And, whatever your view, the fact we all make errors is something we cannot argue about.
What has been lost in this is the fact that Bartel assisted in saving a woman in Adelaide last weekend from a potential car-jacker. Bartel also spoke of the honour he felt walking the track and the respect he has for those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
These days, however, especially with footballers, we tend to focus on the negative.
Don’t expect Jimmy to be dressing up in any Ku Klux Klan outfits anytime soon, for that could provide another story of little significance.
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