Ex-captain of the Australian Netball Team, Liz Ellis has defended wife of cricketer David Warner – Candice Warner, after fans wore masks of rugby player Sonny Bill Williams to a test match.
In 2007, Candice was caught on camera with Williams in a hotel bathroom, both drunk and reportedly engaged in sexual activities, with fans now wearing the masks in a direct attempt to taunt and humiliate the cricketer.
This was after footage of an off-field fight between Warner and South-African player Quinton de Kock emerged in which de Kock said something disrespectful about Warner’s wife.
Appearing on Nine’s Sports Sunday Ellis has rightfully called out this disgusting behaviour, stating that the focus needs to be shifted from the “sledging” to the obvious attempts to shame Candice.
“Everyone is focusing on the sledging. What I think is the controversy is that 40 years after the sexual revolution … 40 years after that in the middle of the #MeToo movement, in the week of International Women’s Day, a player’s wife is being dragged through the mud because they’re attempting to shame her for her past,” Ellis said.
“It really does slam through this idea that some Neanderthals have, that women are the property of their men,” said Ellis.
“Here we have an international sporting competition that is essentially saying to women… you come here as a Madonna, you come here pure, or you don’t come here at all.
“It upsets me to the core.”
The #MeToo movement explained. Tracey Spicer joins Holly Wainwright and Rachel Corbett to deep dive on why the #metoo movement has kick-started a new way of thinking worldwide… Post continues after audio.
Also embroiled in the scandal are two Cricket South African officials – commercial manager Clive Eksteen, and media and communications manager Altaaf Khazi who were both photographed posing with fans wearing the offensive masks. Both employees have been ordered into a disciplinary hearing and are currently facing a possible termination of employment.
CSA has since issued an official apology to Cricket Australia, with a comment from president Chris Nenzani that read, “On behalf of CSA I extend my sincere apologies to the Board of Cricket Australia (CA), its officials, team management, players and their families.”
While Candice has yet to publicly comment, the former ironwoman was re-tweeted tweets that have come out against the actions of the fans and South African cricket officials.
Top Comments
It's also a pretty low act to "sledge" someone by reminding them of something quite personal and, what I would imagine to be, very painful. What the heck is wrong with people that they think this is funny or in any way acceptable behaviour?
Does #metoo have a time limit on how far back a mans personal life can be publically aired? I’m not talking about criminal behaviour, just intimate details.
And if we are thinking it’s unfair to drag Warners Wife into this, did anyone have a single word for SBWs welfare?
This clearly isn't directed at SBW, I dare say if they turned up to a rugby match wearing Candice masks, Australians would have a similar response. A big difference between the two is that a man's worth is generally not reduced in the eyes of the public based on sexual experience or encounters.
I take your point, but I think a mans worth is reduced to his sexual experience. Be it Joyce or any other man under #metoo, the mere allegation is sufficent to have his career ended and he be kicked to the street.
That is a fair perspective, and equally unacceptable when judgement -and punishment- is based on allegation alone (and too in the case of Barnaby Joyce where my understanding is that no 'rules' and certainly no laws were broken), however in a context of consensual sexual relations a woman is far more likely to be judged and suffer consequences in their career or personal life for daring to engage sexually with a consenting adult, where men are often celebrated for the same behaviour . Obviously there are exceptions and it makes neither right or just, but this incident in particular shows sports 'fans' attempting to anger a sportsman by insinuating his wife has less worth due to her past sexual relations. It would be just as unacceptable had it been directed at a sportswoman based on her male partners' past sexual partners, but I don't believe the insinuation would be the same.
The people implicated by #metoo by way of the masks are those who wear them, not SBW himself.