Garry Lyon says he was “speechless” after hearing Caroline Wilson’s criticism of Seb Ross and Tim Membrey overnight.
Ross and Membrey missed the club’s narrow loss to Adelaide on the weekend to be with their partners. The former’s partner had recently given birth to twins.
Wilson said people inside the Saints organisation were disappointed and added that they had every right to be.
“I’d almost say they would have beaten Adelaide. Instead, Seb Ross left to be with his wife Marnie who gave birth to twins five or six weeks ago and he missed the game when the twins were born and he wasn’t prepared to stay in Sydney and go to Cairns for another week," Wilson said on Footy Classified.
“This despite the fact several senior leaders at the club asked him to stay.
“I must stress there is no medical problem with the twins. I know it’s tough when you’re home alone with twins, but there are other family people that could have been with her.
“And I think supporters and sponsors and members and other teammates would have every right to be a bit disappointed.
“I would not be making these comments … there was no medical emergency here.”
Lyon expressed his frustrations with the comments, saying Wilson had no right to talk on behalf of the family.
“So, Caro is suggesting she knows better than the Ross family? I would suggest that’s a conversation she would not want to have with Seb Ross’ wife and/or mother or family members that she has in her opinion said there are no medical problems,” Lyon told SEN Breakfast.
“How she can make a judgement on the family situation of a young mother with twins from afar and say ‘why didn’t they bow to peer pressure these blokes and stay’.
“I’m almost speechless with this one. To think you can sit there on national television and speak for the family, ‘I must stress there is no medical problem’. Oh really Caro? You stress that do you? You would know, would you?”
Lyon added that the football media and wider community had to be more sensitive and accepting of situations like this.
“Us Neanderthals if we said that would be accused … and we are trying to have our minds around if a player says they need time out for whatever reason we go, okay, there’s a great reason for that, we respect it, good luck,” he said.
“If a player says they have a family issue, a baby pending, I need to be home. The footy world goes okay. We’ve been conditioned to be much more empathetic.
“I’m almost speechless. The circumstances for you, me, footballers, Caro, anyone, they may need to take time away. It’s none of our business.
“If someone says they need to be at home with their family. Good. We love you and we support you.
“Not ‘supporters, sponsors and everyone else is going to be disappointed with you’.”
Tim Watson, who is the uncle of Ross, didn’t wish to say much on the issue, but agreed with Lyon.
“I don’t think there is a medical problem, but they do have three tiny little (babies),” Watson said.
“I don’t think anyone who’s not had twins could understand what it might be like having two babies and the anxiousness and the stress associated with that.
“Extraordinary that she of all people would say that.”
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