Caroline Wilson and Eddie McGuire butt heads over AFL racism furore

AFL identities Eddie McGuire and Caroline Wilson have locked horns in a heated on-air debate about Taylor Walker's controversial racism apology video.

Walker and the Adelaide Crows were slammed over what was widely described as a "staged" and "scripted" apology over a racism furore that has rocked the code.

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Crows veteran Walker appeared in a video alongside Robbie Young to issue an apology for his racist comment about the Indigenous North Adelaide player at a SANFL game.

Walker was suspended for six AFL matches and given a $20,000 fine for the comment, which was first reported by a Crows official who overheard it at a quarter-time huddle.

In a short video released by the Crows on Monday evening, Walker sat with Young and choked up several times while delivering the apology.

The clip has divided the AFL community, with many critics taking aim at Walker for not fronting the media to answer for his actions.

Speaking on Footy Classified, the issue prompted a fierce debate between former Collingwood president McGuire and veteran AFL journalist, Wilson.

"He (Walker) did portray himself as a bit of a victim," Wilson started off by saying.

"I didn’t like that video the other night – I think he should have fronted the media. The victims here are the four Adelaide Crows players who have to front up at work day in, day out and of course Robbie Young. This contrived bit at the beginning, I was really disappointed they left it in there."

However, McGuire argued that it may have been the best approach from Walker, who has been struggling mentally from the immense shame and outrage brought about by his actions.

"Tex didn’t necessarily want to do that because he was so exhausted, hasn’t slept, wasn’t in the mental state to get up and have a public stoning by reporters. I got everything I needed to get out of that," McGuire said.

Wilson wasn't having a bar of that explanation and accused her colleague of making it out like Walker was the one people should be feeling sorry for.

"No, you do this every time, you make it someone else’s problem," McGuire fired back.

"We’re discussing how this was done – we all understand that he has done everything wrong in this situation. We’re looking at the next stage. Whether or not he should’ve got harsher penalties is by the by, but he has a life sentence from this now, and so he should.

"He will recover, hopefully, or he doesn’t and that will be his legacy one way or the other. But for him to be put in front of a media conference on Monday, he was not mentally prepared or able to do it.

Wilson said Walker should have waited until he was in the right mental state to face reporters, rather than partake in the controversial video apology.

"I just keep thinking watching that, how does the rest of Australia feel? Wilson asked.

"How do Indigenous Australians feel when here’s a bloke who is a leader in society, former club captain, he has been educated for 15 years?

"How are normal Australians going to be in terms of racism if they have to cop that from someone who’s been taught for 10-15 years about how to behave.

Eddie McGuire references old controversy

McGuire then dug an old wound by referencing Wilson's infamous comment on ABC’s Offsiders from 13 years ago, when she referred to some Paralympics events as “not really like sport”.

"You can’t go into those situations... I’ll tell you what happens: If you apologise, it’s all spin. If you don’t apologise, then you’re recalcitrant. If you apologise too much, then you’re adding mayonnaise to it. There is no answer to this," McGuire began by saying.

"Trust me about getting up and trying to do the right thing in a press conference and people taking it the wrong way. You said something once where people jumped all over you about disabled athletes. Anyone with any brain could see what you were trying to say and it wasn’t malicious, but you copped a kicking on it. You can sometimes say things where the words come out – it happened with me with Adam Goodes...

"This is where compassion and empathy comes into it. It’s about what he does now. No one’s making excuses for him, he did a horrible thing and he’s paying the penalty. But you can’t pick and choose on these things. People do make mistakes. As Ross (Lyon) said, it’s what happens from here. And you know what, maybe the Indigenous community and his teammates just say we’ve had enough."

Adelaide this week refused to guarantee that Walker would remain with the Crows next season despite the embattled AFL veteran being contracted.

The Crows' all-time leading goal-kicker earned a contract for 2022 after a hot start to this season, but his playing future is now unclear.

"We haven't distanced ourselves from Taylor, we've distanced ourselves from the comments - racism has no part in our club, the AFL industry and the community," Crows chief executive Tim Silvers told SEN SA.

"(Walker's) contracted for next year but we need to understand how that looks and how he can reintegrate back into the group for next year.

"It's too early to guarantee that (he will play for the Crows again) but he is contracted and we've got to work through it with a number of different people."

with agencies

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