Former Western Bulldogs skipper Robert Murphy doesn’t mind sportspeople making public political statements, but has also warned against them being too involved in political matters.
NBA megastar LeBron James, often outspoken on political topics, has been at the centre of heated debate in the United States this week regarding the place sports stars have in relation to matters outside their sport.
Murphy himself was at the centre of a similar debate in 2003 when he inscribed an anti-war message on his arm for a team photo at the height of the Iraq War, which forced the AFL into banning the practice of players making political statements while they are representing the league.
The ex-Bulldog says that he has no issue with James actions in the past week, but has advised against becoming a “rent-a-quote” for certain political topics.
“If you really mean it and you are 100 per cent behind this idea, political movement, whatever it is, go for it,” Murphy told SEN Breakfast.
“If you’re the rent-a-quote on the issue and you just keep trotting it out, that’s when I think it gets interfering.”
Murphy says the prevalence of social media today would also have to be considered before making any political statement, saying that his own actions would have made much bigger headlines today than they did 15 years ago.
“I didn’t notice (backlash) back then, it was more that I was welcomed into the bosom of the lefties, but back then there was no social media,” he said.
“If an AFL player did that today, it would be a tidal wave of trolling and feedback.”