1. Barry Hall’s one-year-old son threatened by online trolls in wake of comments.
Retired AFL great Barry Hall claims his one-year-old son has been threatened by trolls in the wake of his scandalous remarks on Triple M radio last month.
The former Sydney Swans star was immediately sacked from the station’s commentary team after making a vile remark about his co-host Leigh Montagna’s pregnant wife. But speaking to 60 Minutes, the 41-year-old said the fallout continues.
“My future in terms of my earning capacity has really suffered from a stupid little comment that I shouldn’t have said,” Hall said.
“I’ve got no income and there’s no real light at the end of the tunnel when that will change or when that will be, so it’s a big c–k up.”
But it’s the “thousands and thousands” of messages of “absolute hate” on social media, that have unsettled Hall the most; “They just lay the boots in. It’s a form of bullying,” he said.
Among the worst are those aimed at his wife Lauren Brant and baby son, Miller.
“[The trolls were] basically saying that I was a pig and she deserves me,” he told the Channel 9 program. “Saying that my son’s ugly and talking about harmful things to them, and I’m not just talking about harmful words I’m talking about physical stuff.”
Though Hall conceded he shouldn’t have made the initial remark, he said he never intended to cause offence.
“I say crude stuff like that, not to be degrading to women or inappropriate,” he told 60 Minutes. “It’s more to get people laughing and I sort of understand now after the ramifications of what happened that shouldn’t certainly be on air.”
Top Comments
Barry may not have meant his comments to be degrading and inappropriate, but that’s what they were, and playing it off as ‘just a joke’ is getting tired. The online abuse is absolutely out of line, but losing work is the natural consequence of your behaviour.
If it was proven ongoing behaviour I would agree but making the family suffer for one moment of madness seems a bit much for me.
Agree with Rush. I don’t condone his partner and son being brought into it at all - but Barry’s comments in this interview show he still just doesn’t get it. It doesn’t matter if he intends his crude comments to be humourous but not degrading - he needs to understand that they ARE degrading, regardless of his intention - and that these types of comments are disrespectful and innapropriate full stop, not just if they are said “on air”.
A crude degrading comment from an ex-footballer is being given the benefit of the doubt as being but "one moment of madness"...? Seriously?
Meanwhile, get the kid off social media. You might as well paint a target on his back. It's astounding that celebrities sell their kids' privacy, and then get all surprised when people say awful things about them.