It was supposed to be a light-hearted filler segment but the Sunday Footy Show has found itself at the centre of fevered backlash after it named former NRL player Dave Taylor as the “Gutsy player of the week.”
The panel were shown laughing as footage of the Central Queensland player Taylor, who was once a State of Origin representative, flashed up on screen before they mocked him for his weight.
And now, as the criticism for the tasteless segment reaches fever pitch the show’s host Erin Molan has tweeted an apology.
“Absolutely appalled by this. Unreservedly apologise on behalf of the show to Dave Taylor,” Erin, who welcomed her daughter Eliza in June, wrote.
Adding: “The panel were expecting the vision to show a gun try or a big hit as our gutsy play.”
“There was no malice or intent to offend but that doesn’t matter. We are sorry,” the mother-of-one signed off.
The Sunday Footy Show also released a statement, which read: “We apologise to Dave Taylor for yesterday’s segment on the Sunday Footy Show.”
“It was not the intention of the show to embarrass him.”
“He’s been a wonderful rugby league player for many years, and through his playing and his personality off the field has contributed greatly to rugby league in this country.”
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Taylor has previously played for NRL teams such as the Brisbane Broncos, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Gold Coast Titans and the Canberra Raiders. He currently plays for the semi-professional club, Central Queensland Capras.
On Sunday’s episode of the Channel 9 show, the panel made up of Erin Molan, Peter Sterling and Brad Fittler were labelled as “totally unprofessional” after they teased Taylor for his physical appearance.
“He was a gun player in his day, wasn’t he?” Erin asked her co-stars.
“What an athlete,” NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler sarcastically replied.
But perhaps the cruellest blow came from Tigers player Joel Caine, who quipped: “Well Dave, look, it’s a three-letter word, fit, OK, but it’s very easy to turn the ‘i’ into an ‘a’, that’s all I’m saying — get that ‘a’ back to an ‘i’.”
Online, the show was slammed for its conduct.
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