Garry Lyon has slammed Mark Robinson’s suggestion that Paddy McCartin shouldn’t play football again due to his low blood sugar levels as a type 1 diabetic.
Sydney VFL-listed player McCartin claimed he was unusually agitated due to his low blood sugar levels prior to striking Geelong captain Aaron Black last weekend.
The former No.1 draft pick and ex-Saint was hit with a five-match ban at the VFL Tribunal on Tuesday night.
“He has to ask himself some serious questions about his mentality. Should he actually play the game? If he’s going to react like that, I don’t think you should be playing the game,” Robinson told Fox Footy’s AFL 360.
Lyon described Robinson’s comments as “breathtakingly ignorant” and shed further light on McCartin’s blood sugar situation.
“He (Robinson) knows nothing about blood sugar levels and diabetes – I do – and I’ve seen and witnessed it firsthand,” Lyon told SEN Breakfast.
“He (McCartin) shouldn’t play the game of life? That’s what Paddy McCartin deals with every day, every minute of every day.
“He (Robinson) questions his mentality over his state of mind, this is an inexact science trying to get your blood sugars right.
“He’s got this time thing in his arm, every day he’s looking at it and monitoring it and sometimes it peaks, sometimes it doesn’t – sometimes it’s that dramatic that he passes out and it’s a life or death situation, that’s how you’ve got to monitor it.
“He’s been able to handle it to the point where he was the No.1 draft pick in the competition … but it’s inexact. To turn around and then say he shouldn’t play? That’s breathtaking.
“That’s a breathtakingly ignorant comment from someone that shouldn’t be wandering into that territory.”
Lyon thought McCartin’s suspension was “2-3 weeks” light after the incident was graded as intentional, severe impact and high contact.
(Photo courtesy of Sydney Swans)
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