'Not on': AFL great's huge spray after trolls abuse daughter
Former AFL star Brendan Fevola has launched a passionate on-air defence of his step-daughter Mia, after she was inundated with online abuse after taking her relationship with an AFL player public.
Mia Fevola and Western Bulldogs draftee Jamarra Ugle-Hagan took their relationship public with a post on Instagram last week.
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The 21-year-old has dated two other AFL players in the past, leading to disgusting comments attempting to 'slut-shame' her for her romantic endeavours.
Mia spoke out against the comments herself on Monday, pointing out how incongruous it was for her to get such disgusting comments on the same day the March 4 Justice rallies against sexual assault and toxic masculinity were taking place around Australia.
She called out a specific comment left on the post.
"Wow we’re slut shaming now, today of all days where hundreds & thousands of women across the nation marched for the right to be safe wherever they are & with whomever they are with, be it on a social scale or professional, this is precisely the toxic masculinity & culture we’re up against, you should be a shame (sic) of yourself for this comment," she wrote.
Speaking on the Fifi, Fev & Nick program on 101.9 The Fox Melbourne, which he hosts with Fifi Box and Nick Cody, Brendan Fevola came to his daughter's defence.
Initially Fevola said he and partner Alex had questioned why Mia had posted the image, before explaining his realisation that she, along with any woman, should be able to share the relationship with someone without being subjected to vile abuse.
"I’ve just read an article on news.com.au saying Mia Fevola’s been slut-shamed after going public with her new boyfriend. As a father that hurts a bit, to read that," he said.
"Blokes can do whatever they want,” he said. “They can go and date girls and no one judges them. It’s a lad thing. But as soon as a girl does it …
“Mia’s been with a couple of football players. That’s OK. People date tradies. That’s their profession.
“Now she’s met this other guy, Jamarra. Great kid. Young boy. And they started dating before he even started playing football. He wasn’t drafted at all.
“Online yesterday, all the trolls that come out and pot people, and the key board warriors who are slut shaming my daughter — it’s just not on.”
Brendan Fevola furious over stepdaughter's slut-shaming
Brendan contrasted Mia's experience as a 21-year-old with his own, recognising that, as a man, his own romantic endeavours were never scrutinised in the same way.
He revealed that when Mia called, upset about what had happened, he and partner Alex had questioned why the couple posted the image.
Brendan then added that there was no reason why she shouldn't have done so, and that any woman should be able to post such updates without being subjected to abuse.
“As soon as she goes out and does something like that and posts a picture, you get idiots behind a keyboard – mostly men – hammering her," he said.
“As a father, that hurts. That hurts me that they think that of Mia. She can date whoever she wants, she can go out with whoever she wants, whenever she wants.
"She’s a 21-year-old girl. When we were 21 we were doing whatever we wanted.
“He’s a great kid, she’s a great girl, she’s smart, she’s got her own business, she studies, she’s got a degree … she can do what she wants.
“It just pisses me off that people can write that and say vile things online about any girl, not just Mia.”
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