Collingwood president Eddie McGuire flippantly walked off the Footy Classifiedย set last night after a tense exchange with Caroline Wilson over his club's recent off-field indiscretions.
The Magpies endured a horror week following their two-point loss to the GWS Giants in Round 4, stemming from Jeremy Howe's potential season-ending knee injury.
Vice-captain Steele Sidebottom consoled Howe the following night which led to his four-game suspension for breaching COVID-19 protocols.
McGuire sensationally defended Sidebottom after the incident and said the club was "proud" of the way the star midfielder responded to his misconduct.
Later in the week it emerged that star forward Jordan De Goey had been charged with indecent assault over an alleged incident in 2015.
Wilson criticised the Magpies' alleged culture problems and McGuire's handling of the Sidebottom scandal, questioning if he a times "hurts" the club.
Here is how the exchange went down on Channel Nine'sย Footy Classifiedย on Wednesday night...
Caroline Wilson: Do you accept that sometimes you do hurt Collingwood? You might be taking the flak for people but do you think you have hurt the club? It was called out by Nathan Buckley some years ago, Geoff Walsh twice wonโt answer the question about having an outspoken president in the last month โฆ
Eddie McGuire: You are talking about Nathan Buckley in 2001 when he was in the media. He came to the club and has been with us for the last 12 years.
CW: Do you think over the last week you might have hurt the club.
EM: Iโm not defending myself โฆ well, it depends. Jonathan Brown once said we trained โappallinglyโ as we walked past the Holden Centre and looked over the fence โฆ
CW: Answer the question. Not only Jonathan Brown has said that โฆ
EM: I will set the context up. You have asked me the question so I will answer it. He didnโt realise it was captainโs run and a non-compulsory (session). Jonathan Brown โฆ
CW: Have you hurt the Collingwood Football Club in the last week?
EM: โฆ has zero understanding of what happens in the Collingwood Football Club. Now I do.
CW: OK I think you have (hurt Collingwood). And Mick Warner thinks you have Mark Robinson thinks you have โ three senior footy people.
EM: They are three competitors who write about me and have done for 21 years calling for me to be kicked off television shows or presidencies or run agendas โฆ
CW: You still havenโt answered the question.
EM: Well my answer is โnoโ. I donโt do anything that goes out ever โฆ
CW: Do you reflect back over the last week that maybe to say โฆ
EM: Hang on Caro โฆ
CW: โฆ that you were proud of the guy โฆ
EM: Do you know what? But did you hear what I said? I tell you what this is going to be. Iโm going to cut all these things up one day and present them to RMIT journalism course and say โthis is what you report as accurate and hereโs what you hope to reportโ. I said on Tony Jonesโ cross that I was proud of the way he (Steele Sidebottom) reacted. That is he took the four weeks on the chin, that he didnโt appeal and he didnโt squeal and he didnโt complain plain and he gave us the utmost truth. I was proud of that, in conjunction with his unblemished career. I said there we were not happy with happened โ and of course we are not. That seems to be pretty straightforward โฆ
CW: You were pretty strong last week that he wouldnโt lose the vice-captaincy see.
EM: Yes.
CW: It was pointed out on Monday night โ and the rap sheet was run down the Sunday Footy Show โ and the point was made by several, including Kane Cornes in that seat, that Collingwood has a discipline problem. Have you disciplined Daniel Wells for what he did last week?
EM: Caroline, we are at the moment โฆ On the weekend, we were ringing people and pulling them out of bed to get them onto planes. Right? We were trying to get โฆ
CW: Have you disciplined Daniel Wells for what he did with Steele Sidebottom?
EM: We havenโt got โ Daniel Wells opened his door! Anyway, I tell you what Iโm not going to do โฆ
CW: You let your vice-captain get on the sauce when he shouldnโt have been there.
EM: Iโll tell you what Iโm going to do Caro. Iโm going to do what you wanted me to do. Iโm going to give you a โno commentโ. Weโve said enough about it, it was last week, the club handles it, weโll handle it internally.
The exchange continued before Wilson brought up that the Magpies won the premiership in 2010 when McGuire was 'as silent as he has been.'
CW: Collingwood won a flag in 2010 and you were as silent in 2010 as you have ever been. I will leave it at that.
EM: Well, if thatโs the case, Iโll tell you what? If the decision was if Collingwood would win the flag if I was silent, itโd be very simple and Iโd go right now and never come back.
(McGuire then casually walked off the set.)
The Magpies president returned soon after, stating: โIโm putting the season in danger here apparently."
