TV

Eddie McGuire Is Getting Slammed After Mocking A Disabled Woman On Live TV

What a shock.

by Tom Clift  30 March 2019
Eddie McGuire slammed for mocking disabled woman

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Eddie McGuire has been slammed for mocking double amputee Cynthia Banham during last night’s AFL game between the Sydney Swans and the Adelaide Crows.

I know. I was shocked too.

Banham, a former journalist with the Sydney Morning Herald who had both legs amputated after surviving a plane crash in Indonesia in 2007, tossed the coin ahead of the game at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday night. But McGuire wasn’t impressed with her technique, apparently, declaring on the Fox Footy broadcast that “we should introduce a $5000 fine to anybody who’s tossing the coin and can’t do it properly”.

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“Every week, we have someone dropping it on their foot,” he said. “Come on, toss it up properly, for goodness sake. Practice in the week, you know you’re going to do it. It can’t be that hard can it, guys?”

McGuire was apparently unaware of Banham’s disability, despite the fact that she was leaning on a walking stick.

He apologised “unreservedly” at half-time.

“Before the bounce I made some comments about how we do the coin toss,” he said. “I just want to apologise if this was communicated in the wrong way, I did not mean to offend anyone, especially Cynthia, and I apologise unreservedly to her, her family and friends, Swans supporters and anybody watching tonight who took it that way. My apologies there, for that comment.”

Sydney subsequently issued a statement saying the club was “incredibly disappointed by inappropriate comments made tonight by Eddie McGuire”.

“The comments show not only a lack of empathy, but also ignorance,” the statement read. “Cynthia Banham is a passionate Sydney Swans member, our number one ticket holder, and a courageous woman who is an inspiration to all of us at the club.”

“Regardless of who is invited to toss the coin, they are doing so by invitation and as a recognition of their love of the sport or a club.”

McGuire was also heavily criticised by social media users.

McGuire has previously come under fire for joking about drowning journalist Caroline Wilson, suggesting that Indigenous player Adam Goodes should promote the King Kong musical, and calling Western Sydney “the land of the falafel”.

But hey, I’m sure he’s really learnt his lesson this time.