News Mitch Cleary stood down indefinitely - AFL have really stepped in it this time

[TP86]

Look at the serious invective from nuffies and humorous ridicule levelled at Cotchin and partner across this platform and social media platforms since this story blew up. If the goal was to protect them, then bravo AFL you made it 20 times worse.

I suspect the editorial policy is spin and the real reason for the stand down was because the AFL may have been attempting to cover up and deny breaches to the QLD government. An AFL dotcom endorsed tweet/story may have weakened the company’s bargaining position not just for the hub and ongoing viability of the competition but also the price tag on moving the grand final. Follow the money.

 

[BBC1967]

Mrs Cotchin has accepted fault and apologised. Eddie on the other hand complained about context and wanted an addendum or page 17 to AFL guidelines. Can someone please explain what he is on about? I do understand he is proud of Ole mate Nafe.

 

[raymond35]

I knew it was Eddies fault

 

[MVille Swan]

Are the Richmond football club the softest sporting club in Australia? Didn't want to go into a hub, their captain throws a fit and blames everyone but his wife for her mistakes - attempting to get someone sacked, Dimma sooks it up at Longmire.

How precious are they? Jesus wept, they need to act like adults instead of complaining children.

Give them a break. They are putting their bodies on the line!

 

[Numero Uno]

Are the Richmond football club the softest sporting club in Australia? Didn't want to go into a hub, their captain throws a fit and blames everyone but his wife for her mistakes - attempting to get someone sacked, Dimma sooks it up at Longmire.

How precious are they? Jesus wept, they need to act like adults instead of complaining children.

don't forget the big cry Jack had

and of course all swept under the carpet by the Vic centric media..they are more interested about some 'imaginary' whinging of WC players

 

[Sttew]

Hey guys,

As I'm sure alot of you are aware, journalist Mitch Cleary has been stood down indefinitely over a retweet of Brooke Cotchin's publicly shared Instagram post.

This is on the same weekend as Nathan Buckley attending a tennis match, and four clubs breaching protocols in different ways.

Here we have probably one of the finest journalists in the AFL industry, who won an award for it, and he is sacked for retweeting publicly available info. This is despite journos outing Conor McKenna, Steele Sidebottom, Jack Steven (when he was the victim) and the numerous other invasions of privacy that morally lesser media personas like Ralph, Browne and McGuire have committed time and time again.

As someone pointed out on Twitter, the fact that the vast majority of posters/personalities/fellow journos etc. are steadfastly defending him and his character, is a testament to the way he's conducted himself throughout his career.

The AFL will have a real troubling time defending this, considering how their media arm is supposed to be 'independent.'

What do people think will be the outcome here? Will the AFL double down, or will they try to save face and fire someone down the chain and rehire Mitch (if he even wants to come back)?

In a day where the majority of Victoria is about to enter Stage 4 lockdown and experience the closest thing to martial law in living memory, firing an honourable journo for posting something about someone who broke the rules selfishly, is about as tone-deaf as you can get to the wider feeling in the country - especially in Victoria.

Thoughts?

EDIT: Amended to show Instagram post not tweet, and stood down indefinitely not sacked.

What I don't get is what has he been stood down from? He's not an employee of the AFL. Is the AFL saying he is not allowed to attend AFL news conferences? Mitch is on 3AW and TV. The AFL can't stop him doing that can they?

 

[Diamond Jim]

Sam McClure on to it - Seems there was NO AFL direction on the privacy of player’s and families who breached - Made up as justification to bump Cleary.

This is better than Eddie’s ‘foot in mouth disease’....

 

[Accepted 04]

Are the Richmond football club the softest sporting club in Australia? Didn't want to go into a hub, their captain throws a fit and blames everyone but his wife for her mistakes - attempting to get someone sacked, Dimma sooks it up at Longmire.

How precious are they? Jesus wept, they need to act like adults instead of complaining children.

 

[Accepted 04]

I can’t remember seeing it or not but did anyone confirm who the players/partners from Carlton and Hawthorn who broke the Covid protocols?

Just curious

 

[Redline]

I can’t remember seeing it or not but did anyone confirm who the players/partners from Carlton and Hawthorn who broke the Covid protocols?

Just curious

I haven't seen them mentioned. In Cotchin's case it was the social media post and apparently at the time the only Richmond WAG in the hub so people worked it out quickly.

 

[Diamond Jim]

I can’t remember seeing it or not but did anyone confirm who the players/partners from Carlton and Hawthorn who broke the Covid protocols?

Just curious

Casbolts parents took his kids to Dreamworld.

 

[Redline]

I swear I have heard Damian Barrett claim there is no AFL hierarchy interference in the past, now he claiming that there is no independence.

The whole thing is strange, someone at the AFL handled it poorly.

 

[Run and carry]

Is it just me or did the FC panel last night look uncomfortable talking about the Cleary issue? Caro a bit cagy and Hutchy a bit jumpy.

 

[deanc]

I can’t remember seeing it or not but did anyone confirm who the players/partners from Carlton and Hawthorn who broke the Covid protocols?

Just curious

Casbolts parents took his kids to Dreamworld.

A few Hawks players watching in the stands at the Swans v Hawks match decided to go and get a hot dog/chips and entered a public area. Players have not been publicly named, but I'm told Poppy was one of them...

 

[mightymouse75]

North Koreans leader kim Jong likes

 

[Aussie in exile]

Hey guys,

As I'm sure alot of you are aware, journalist Mitch Cleary has been stood down indefinitely over a retweet of Brooke Cotchin's publicly shared Instagram post.

This is on the same weekend as Nathan Buckley attending a tennis match, and four clubs breaching protocols in different ways.

Here we have probably one of the finest journalists in the AFL industry, who won an award for it, and he is sacked for retweeting publicly available info. This is despite journos outing Conor McKenna, Steele Sidebottom, Jack Steven (when he was the victim) and the numerous other invasions of privacy that morally lesser media personas like Ralph, Browne and McGuire have committed time and time again.

As someone pointed out on Twitter, the fact that the vast majority of posters/personalities/fellow journos etc. are steadfastly defending him and his character, is a testament to the way he's conducted himself throughout his career.

The AFL will have a real troubling time defending this, considering how their media arm is supposed to be 'independent.'

What do people think will be the outcome here? Will the AFL double down, or will they try to save face and fire someone down the chain and rehire Mitch (if he even wants to come back)?

In a day where the majority of Victoria is about to enter Stage 4 lockdown and experience the closest thing to martial law in living memory, firing an honourable journo for posting something about someone who broke the rules selfishly, is about as tone-deaf as you can get to the wider feeling in the country - especially in Victoria.

Thoughts?

EDIT: Amended to show Instagram post not tweet, and stood down indefinitely not sacked.

The AFL acting like their idols the CCP and NK in wanting to control whats written about.
Little wonder they want to to get games played in the people republic of China where everything is controlled
The AFL only wants positive pieces written about them and how wonderful they are.

 

[Black white]

I swear I have heard Damian Barrett claim there is no AFL hierarchy interference in the past, now he claiming that there is no independence.

The whole thing is strange, someone at the AFL handled it poorly.
[/QUO

Barrett, along with robbo, need to find a new sport, so we don't have to put up with them

 

[tandino]

I swear I have heard Damian Barrett claim there is no AFL hierarchy interference in the past, now he claiming that there is no independence.

Just listening to his podcast, he's all over the shop on this one.

Poor poor poor.

 

[Aussie in exile]

I swear I have heard Damian Barrett claim there is no AFL hierarchy interference in the past, now he claiming that there is no independence.

The whole thing is strange, someone at the AFL handled it poorly.

I think he's telling porkies

 

[tandino]

The AFL can use it's site to spin stories as they wish. It just loses a lot of its value.

I wouldn't read the Herald Sun to get the real story on the Murdoch's either.

 

[Sidthehat]

Barrett way too defensive on Sounding Board, should've just conceded they might have done things differently. By going at Watson just comes across as a little bitch. This is gonna stick round his neck whenever he next goes at a club. You didn't even stick up for your mate/AFL stooge etc

 

[NewMelbournian]

The story was relevant. Breaching covid rules in these times is directly tied to the product on the field. AFL journos should have every right to report on those matters. If it was just a personal, say like for example she was shagging someone on the side (in normal non quarantine times), I'd support a rule that said stay out of their private lives. But something directly linked to the ability of the league to go ahead this year is fair game as legitimate news.

 

[brett15]

Barrett way too defensive on Sounding Board, should've just conceded they might have done things differently. By going at Watson just comes across as a little b*tch. This is gonna stick round his neck whenever he next goes at a club. You didn't even stick up for your mate/AFL stooge etc

Barrett's career has been built on promoting himself at everyone else's expense

 

[Pedantic]

I don’t really blame him for anything, I don’t know what his view is. He’s in a legitimate job - it’s not journalism, but he’s doing a job nonetheless. And in that job, it’d seem a pretty petty “offence”.

It’s all these other clowns today. I even
saw Jon Ralph invoke the term “without fear or favour”!

For Christ’s sake...

The guy‘s not a journalist. He works for the AFL. The end.

While I agree with you, I think many in the media who have been asking the question have been doing so in a rhetorical manner to emphasise how farcical it is that "AFL Media" has been trying to portray itself as independent (in a journalistic or editorial sense). This is simply a good example for those who have been rightly sceptical of that claim for some time.

 

[HTPunter]

Ridiculous. I understand why the AFL may have wanted privacy (considering the awful venom that comes out of social media issues like these), but come on, she already has 35k followers she shared her trip too, she had already been named by radio people...

And now you've got people saying hang on I haven't heard of this memo...

This isn't anything against the Cotchins. They seem to have handled an embarrassing situation as well as they could have. Any insinuation they may have had something to do with this is calling Brooke Cotchin an outright liar as she has said this was an outcome she DIDN'T want, something she didn't really need to come out and say - if she had, she'd just stay quiet/no comment. So I think to say otherwise is unnecessary speculation.

What I think IS necessary speculation is as others have said - what is the AFL's ulterior motive here?
Privacy as we've established is not a concern.
I don't think they'd bend over on Richmond leaning on them - Richmond was the club who had a related stuff-up while a good portion of the population are locked down and doing it a lot tougher, don't think public opinion would sway their side in a battle of PR wars. Also Richmond are big yes but they are still only a big part of the AFL... Not like they would single handledy bring down the AFL.
I don't think it seems like they are just trying to get rid of a problematic journalist.

So why were they so keen to push Cleary out despite no evidence of being leaned on, no evidence of actual misconduct or putting someone's health and wellbeing in danger, no evidence that the "instructions" he didn't follow were ever instructed...

Stinks to me.