Michael Slater says he was “highly emotional” when he accused Prime Minister Scott Morrison of having “blood on his hands” over the treatment of Australians unable to freely travel home from India during Covid.
Channel Seven decided not to renew Slater’s contract as a commentator for the Ashes summer, with speculation that the decision was based on a series of tweets he made when in India for the IPL. Seven says it was purely a budgetary decision.
“I’ve never experienced anything like India with the Covid in all my life,” Slater told The Daily Telegraph.
“The tweets came from a place of sheer desperation and wanting to get home to crying kids worried about their father.
“It got very emotional. We got to Ahmedabad and we went past a Covid testing site. We’d see all these dead bodies on the side of the road. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. It was so horribly confronting.
“I didn’t want to be disrespectful. I was highly emotional and people know I handle things differently.
“I was feeling completely overwhelmed.
“If I had my time again, bearing in mind it could have had a link to what’s just happened to me at Channel 7, no I wouldn’t do it again.”
Slater was asked if wanted to apologise to Morrison.
“All I’ll say is that I’ll be voting for ScoMo at the next election. I admire what he does.”
He has, however, not deleted any of the tweets sent to his 82,000 followers.
Slater is now on the lookout for work.
“I’m fit and healthy and I’ve got to provide for three kids who go to school and their fees aren’t cheap,” Slater said.
“While it’s disappointing to be leaving Seven before an Ashes series, I’ll soldier on and keep pushing forward.
“I don’t know if it’s related to what I said about ScoMo but it got a lot of airplay at the time.
“The head of sport said it was a budgetary decision.
“I was on a good wicket but they’ve made a business decision.
“It’s a bitter pill to swallow because I loved the job so much.”
HR
Roar Rookie
Seems to be the case with a few of them – Warne has been good in commentary overseas when I have heard him, and he clearly has a good understanding of the game, but here he ends up talking about dirty rotten pizza and beans half the time.
fabian gulino
Roar Rookie
there you go again strong evidence,we are not in court.
Kalva
Roar Rookie
I always felt that Michael Slater was a decent commentator….away from Australia. For some reason, he seemed to get worse the more he was surrounded by fellow Aussies.
ken gargett
Guest
sure. it is my opinion. i found him to be the worst i have ever heard (as soon as he comes on, i hit mute). just as it is only your opinion that he is good. an opinion with which i strongly disagree. not sure there are a great deal of objective measures you can use to determine this. the one thing on which i do agree with you is that slater has the right to say what he believes. just as we all do. but there is no evidence i have seen which confirms that his sacking was because of that.
fabian gulino
Roar Rookie
Micheal slater was a good commentator.thats your opinion.
GWSingapore
Roar Rookie
Ferrari. Nice UBER ride.
ken gargett
Guest
interesting. personally, i thought him the worst commentator i have ever heard (in over a half century of listening to them - tv and radio). i will not miss his endless gibbering one bit. and from what i have seen on various forums, i am a long way from being on my pat malone. so perhaps, as 7 has said, the decision to dump him was not because of the comments. or do you have information that has not been made public?
Jeff
Roar Rookie
When just 48 hours later he gets on board with State leaders as to total shutdown of communities given the severity of the situation at hand, yeah, seems like as the prime leader who should be ahead of the curve re all available information that is available to him, he was found sorely lacking in understanding what was happening (COVID I mean, not the bushfires). Or do you see his role as more of a ceremonial one? Probably no coincidence that in that moment of a National leadership vacuum, was borne the genesis of the greatest readjustment of Federalism power balances Australia has seen since the 1930s.
Lapunman
Roar Rookie
So a PM is not entitled to spend 2 hours at a football game.... really??
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
I would have thought his kids would be grown up long since by now. Or did he have more kids in a post 2002 second marriage?
Jeff
Roar Rookie
May have to offer it up as the school bus in replacement of fees. One student at a time. That will use up most of his day.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
One was PM at the time.
Lapunman
Roar Rookie
He was going to the same Sharks/Bunnies game that Albo was going to. What’s your point?
JGK
Roar Guru
He might have to sell THAT Ferrari.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Let's give him some time to learn them. It's not a race.
BigAl
Roar Rookie
well no Australian forces were stationed in or fought at Khe Sanh...
fabian gulino
Roar Rookie
Micheal slater is entitled to his opnion and to sack him for that,shame on channel 7.He is the only decent commentator on the cricket and Tim lane,the rest make want to go to sleep.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Shhhh...that's an "on-water matter".
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
And another thing Slats, he doesn't even know the words to Khe Sanh.
Marty
Roar Rookie
Dear god, does this mean his kids might now have to go to (gasp!) their local public school?!? What an appalling situation for any family to have to face, thoughts and prayers Slats.