Megan Barnard Responds To The Sexist And Homophobic Comments Tom Morris Made About Her

FOX Sports presenter Megan Barnard has responded to “degrading” comments made about her by ex-coworker Tom Morris in a leaked audio clip.

Following Luke Beveridge’s outburst towards Morris last week, leaked WhatsApp audio — allegedly of Morris — went viral for containing sexist and degrading comments about women, and homophobic slurs. Out of respect for Barnard, Junkee has decided not to publish the audio.

In a lengthy statement published on Instagram, Barnard thanked those who offered her support and comfort in the days following the clip’s release.

“I have been overwhelmed by the amount of support I have received over the past few days in response to the comments about me in the media,” said Barnard, who is currently in New Zealand covering the ICC Women’s World Cup. “To everyone who has reached out, thank you.”

Barnard noted that she is, thankfully, at a place in life where she can cope with her personal life becoming public — but asserted that the incident could’ve had more devastating impacts if it had happened a few years earlier.

“Fortunately, I am at a place in my life where I am comfortable with who I am and I can handle something deeply personal becoming public. But had this happened as recently as a few years ago, it would not have been the case,” she said, adding that she hopes her situation can exact some real change in the way we speak about people.

“Coming out is a process and should never be taken out of someone’s hands. Nor should anyone be spoken about in such a degrading manner. I hope my experience can be a catalyst for change in not just the sports industry, but in every industry.”

Morris was quickly stood down — and subsequently sacked — by FOX after the audio came to light. Junkee understands there was also a second audio clip that reportedly featured other offensive language. He later issued an apology to Barnard on Twitter.

“I would like to unconditionally apologise to everyone for my disgusting and disgraceful comments, which became public yesterday,” he wrote. “I am especially sorry to the person involved. No one should ever, in any place, or at any time, be spoken about in that way.”

The network noted that his termination was on the basis of its “zero tolerance” policy. “Our culture at Fox Sports is based on a respectful, inclusive environment and a fair go for all,” Fox Sports executive director Steve Crawley said in a statement. “While Tom’s journalism has made a valuable contribution to Fox Sports over the past seven years, the message we became aware of yesterday crossed the line.”

“We have the best in the business working at Fox Sports. We love what we do, and we have a reputation as a great place to work. The bottom line is we are committed to a work environment where everyone can come to work in the knowledge they are safe, respected and valued. We have zero-tolerance for anything less than that.”