It’s been a fortnight to forget for the Collingwood Football Club.
Losses to GWS and Essendon, Jeremy Howe’s potentially season-ending knee injury, Jordan De Goey’s indecent assault charge and Steele Sidebottom’s four-game suspension for multiple COVID-19 breaches has thrown the Magpies into turmoil.
Speaking on Channel Nine's Footy Classified on April 29, Collingwood president Eddie McGuire called for season-long suspensions and $100,000 fines for players who breach the AFL’s COVID-19 protocols.
Following Sidebottom’s misdemeanour, McGuire told Nine News he was “proud” of how Sidebottom reacted to the ban with the Magpies describing the sanctions as “excessive and inconsistent with recent protocol breaches”.
"I don't know of any other club in recent times who's had a rap sheet like this,” host Tony Jones told The Sunday Footy Show.
“It has been a PR disaster for the club in recent times and central to all this is in a way is the president – Eddie McGuire.
“I say central because he is a victim in many ways of his own profile.
“He’s got a radio show, he’s got several TV shows, and I’ve got to say this week I spoke to Eddie on the news on Wednesday night – I don’t think it went well for Eddie I’ve got to say when you talk about being proud of Steele Sidebottom, and of course it’s only got worse.”
Essendon great Matthew Lloyd slammed the two-time Copeland Trophy winner for his booze-fuelled indiscretion.
“I’m speaking from my opinion but if I’m a player walking in, I couldn’t take Steele seriously again after that,” Lloyd said.
“It’s a massive one-off what he’s done. I would have dropped him for two games anyway – COVID or no COVID breach.”
Port Adelaide champion Kane Cornes believes Sidebottom’s leadership role should be reviewed by the club.
“The hard part is when you’re in the leadership group, he’s got to sit down and discipline other players that have indirections,” Cornes said.
“I would (strip him of the vice captaincy), I’d certainly question it.”
"I don't know of any other club in recent times, who's had a rap sheet like this."
— Footy on Nine (@FootyonNine) July 5, 2020
TJ and the Sunday Footy Show team reflect on Collingwood's off-field misdemeanours throughout the years, and ask why these issues continue to happen at the Pies.#9AFLSFS | Watch @channel9 pic.twitter.com/mQvK3ThI9S