Dees2014

I agree on both counts

Surely though you are not suggesting that a player should not be dropped because he has mental health issues in case you hurt his feelings or it is likely to exacerbate his condition. No club would agree to that, but many rightly handle these issues by saying something like "Rested" or make up a physical injury by way of explanation. Which is as it should be. I think most clubs handle these issues pretty sensibly, but do not compromise their selection integrity.

Yes, and it is a lot more widespread than we would like to think. Tom Morris would not have been one who l would have thought to have these sorts of views, but clearly in an unguarded moment revealed himself to be one of the worst of the worst, and deserved to go. I guess one of the few things we can take heart out of this is that Foxtel acted decisively and was followed by the industry as a whole providing almost universal condemnation: l don’t think that would have occurred even 12 months ago. Maybe times are changing for the better after all, but we still have a way to go unfortunately….

And has speed we need to complement Hunt down back

I also have been a doubter, but lately l can see he does give us added dimensions down back: quicker than the others except Hunt; better mark than any of them except Lever; and taller than all of them except Lever and May. What is there not to like…?

No. I was brought up to have far more respect me for women. I suggest you have a close listen to what Morris said on that tape to his mates. There should be no one allowed in responsible journalism with those sorts of attitudes

Not to the extent he went no. I guess l was brought up by a very strong willed and smart woman, similarly my ex wife both of whom educated me about the wonders of womanhood and led me to have huge respect and love for women in general and them in particular. But like everyone, some of women are complete [censored] as a lot of men are bastards. I suggest you read closely what Morris said to his mates on that tape. It reminded me of the worst sorts of male chauvinism which l occasionally came across at Melbourne Grammar from which l think Morris gets his attitudes. Although it has been tempting at times, no l have not uttered those attitudes. There are plenty of other things l can get angry about.

Particularly Hunt. I think his speed off had back is very valuable and complements the others. The established backline outside him are not exactly quick…

That is one of the many things l love about this team which can be summed up as “selfless football” ie the most important thing is we win and it doesn’t much matter who does what as long as the end result is success. Kossie is a classic example. He does a lot of his best work off the ball (aka his bump off the ball which led to Trac’s spinning goal from the pocket which set us alight in the grannie). He does this sort of thing all the time as well as his individual brilliance as a goal sneak. No-one at melbourne questions his importance to team success, even though individual commentators often don’t understand his value (hello David King and that light-weight Kane Cornes). Goodie knows his value..

The thing some of us are forgetting on here is we have strong prospects of 3or 4 flags in the next 5 years. Neither the Weagles or Freo are likely to win one in that time. It is a huge incentive to stay, even if he is paid unders, even though he would be very well compensated indeed. We now have many advantages over our traditional rivals which we could not have envisioned even a year ago. Jacko will be very aware of this…

I can accept that Beveridge’s behaviour would have been far more excusable if it has been in response to Morris’s rather 19th century social attitudes, particularly about women and race issues. But he was very specific about what was annoying him ie revealing selection “secrets”. If it was about those other things then he should have said so and he would have been seen as the socially progressive coach he was previously perceived as.

There are numerous examples of people in public life who seek to stop publication of material including under breach of journalistic ethics. Fortunately publishers like the Age and the ABC are prepared to spend $m’s to protect their ability to publish in the public interest. It is interesting when you examine who challenges this. It is usually those with something to hide? I would much rather we err on the side of a freer press where the contest is in the court of the public opinion rather than one where the contest is in the Courts in William Street. You cannot have this if the public is not informed. Perhaps you do not agree? That is your right, or do you wish to take that away as well?

Tell me what journalistic ethics are breached by a reporter speculating on AFL team selection? U know Beveridge (and perhaps you) would love to think he could control what is published about his team but fortunately in this country we have a free wheeling press where they publish what they like within journalistic ethics, but tell me the ethic that says AFL coaches should be able to control what is published about their team?

Why is it “hurting” people to speculate do team selections? Inconvenient to control freaks like Beveridge yes, but truly hurt l don’t think so. I think there are much more serious things which truly hurt people, both physically and mentally. Just ask the Ukrainians!

It is called a “free press”. Maybe you don’t think that is a good idea either…

The problem with that is that people like Morris would never reveal their real thinking so we would never know they had such backward ideas.. This is particularly pernicious for journalists as they command the bully pulpit. If these recordings had never come to light we would not have know what Morris’s true views were, and so he could insidiously feed them into our airwaves with impunity into the future. Sometimes, social media has its uses.

Well l see the job of a sports reporter as having a wider definition than simply reporting on the details of a particular game. Sports reporting has a wider perview than that involving key personalities, subsequent politics, finances, technologies, human resource management, and yes team selection even if it is just speculating on team make ups. To say as Beveridge does that to reveal team selection is a breach of trust is absurd. Sports reporters are not employed by Footscray FC, or even the AFL. They are though by media organisations whose dna is to inform the public of a range of issues, even if it makes certain vested interests (aka football clubs) uncomfortable.

Although l have no time for Morris’s subsequent behaviour and he deserved to be fired, his initial behaviour of speculating on team line ups were straight out of a good sports reporter’s DNA. It is what their jobs should be about. It was the subsequent revelations about his 19th century social attitudes to race and gender which led to his justifiable sacking. There is no place for that in our media, and l applaud Foxtel for acting so swiftly on this.

I think l have been misunderstood. The quote above from me was written before the details of the recordings had become clear. Subsequent to that l posted a number of items making it very clear that the misogyny and racism exhibited by what Morris said in his recordings had no place in our game (indeed in our society) and was more than enough for him to be fired from all media. Behaviour like this should never be tolerated in the media (indeed in society in general). Sadly it is, although it looks like the right outcome has now come to pass. The good guys fortunately win sometimes!

Possibly - just! But won’t play a major part in them.

It is irrelevant whether Morris knew he was being recorded or not. What is relevant is the attitudes that his rant represents as far as whether he is a fit and proper person to be a senior sports reporter on Australia’s major cable network. From the recording it is quite clear what he was saying. Basically he was claiming the ground that a lot of private school boys have (l know l was one of them, as were my two sons) ie women are to be subjugated and do not deserve an equal place with men, except in his rant he expanded that to include Asians and Blacks. It is not an attitude which should be tolerated but sadly it is all too common in a vocal minority at private schools in Melbourne. That is not to say though it should be embraced by our major broadcasting networks. Tom Morris has no place on our public airwaves if he is prepared to perpetrate this poison, not even if he thought he was not being recorded. In fact, by thinking he was not being recorded, he is more likely to say what he really thinks, which makes it even more contemptible.,

Well said CBF: a perceptive post. There are always subtleties in these sorts of issues, but that does not excuse male chauvinist behaviour or continual expressions of male privilege, as Tom Morris is seen to do. As l said, there is no place for that in sports journalism.

I find it really interesting the lack of outrage on here by many of the male posters about the attitudes exhibited by Morris in those recordings. By any standards they are appalling, but it seems that many make posters on here think that Tom was dobbed in not for having such appalling views but because he had a few “disloyal” mates. Clearly medieval attitudes exist on Demonland and male chauvinism reigns in some quarters. No wonder our female friends despair at such male behaviours. Morris deserves to be rubbed out for life from working in the media ever again. There is no room for these sorts of attitudes in today’s modern Australia.

It doesn’t matter whether he was dobbed in or not. The fact that he said these things at all excludes him from any further participation in the AFL industry at all (IMHO).

It may have been, but that does not excuse the appalling attitudes those utterances represent, and Morris appears in no way repentant. The AFL industry, and Foxtel cannot tolerate these attitudes in their senior reporters. Morris should be sacked immediately.