Caroline Wilson fires back at 'Neanderthal' Newman

Fairfax journalist Caroline Wilson has hit back at The Footy Show's Sam Newman after his inflammatory comments on Thursday night.

AFL commentator Sam Newman

AFL commentator Sam Newman (pic) says the furore over Eddie McGuire's comments has gone too far. (AAP)

Caroline Wilson has fired back at Sam Newman, labelling him a "Neanderthal" after his scathing attack on Thursday night's The Footy Show on the Nine Network.

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire, North Melbourne chairman James Brayshaw and All Australian selector Danny Frawley were at the centre of a public outcry this week after suggesting on Triple M that Wilson should be dunked and held under the water of the charity ice slide at the AFL's Freeze MND charity match.

All three apologised publicly after the exchange was slammed as bullying and at odds with anti-violence against women messages.
But Newman fired a broadside at Wilson in defence of his friends, calling her an embarrassment on the Nine Network's The Footy Show.

"I'm not surprised ... the guy's just a bit of a Neanderthal isn't he?" Wilson told Adelaide radio station FIVEaa on Thursday.

"He lives in the past, he's missed the point completely with all of this as he has with so many big issues in footy in recent years.

"I don't think he did Eddie any good at all with his comments ... his lack of judgement as he's got older has really baffled me."

Wilson said that she had met with McGuire and accepted his personal apology over the incident.

It's not the first time Wilson and Newman have been at odds, with The Footy Show personality slammed for a skit on the show in 2008 involving a scantily-clad mannequin adorned with a picture of the Fairfax journalist.

"I think what he said about me was completely wrong but referring to people who've taken offence to this and written about it ... as excrement, that really made me cross," Wilson continued.

"This is what he did last time with the mannequin stunt. If that wasn't bad enough he compounded the damage by making disgusting comments about women board members.

"That ended up costing Sam and Channel Nine hundreds of thousands of dollars, so he should be careful."

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Source: AAP


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