• It was clearly banter, says McGuire
• McGuire's comments were 'vicious': Wilson
• Gillon McLachlan's full statement
EDDIE McGuire won't be sanctioned over his role in a radio segment that disparaged senior journalist Caroline Wilson, with AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan saying the Collingwood president's apology on Monday was "legitimate and acceptable".
McGuire and North Melbourne president James Brayshaw joked with fellow commentator and All Australian selector Danny Frawley during a radio segment about drowning senior Fairfax journalist Wilson ahead of the 'Big Freeze at the G' last Monday.
McGuire stopped short of apologising directly to Wilson on his Triple M breakfast radio program on Monday morning, saying the segment had been intended as "banter" but conceded his comments had been "unacceptable" given they could be "perceived to promulgate domestic violence".
He later apologised on 3AW for the offence his comments caused, saying: "Any language that could either promulgate or let people think that there was anything OK with violence of any type, particularly domestic violence and violence towards women and children - we have to put a line through it."
The Collingwood president later released another apology via the club website.
"In the last 24 hours, and particularly since this morning, I've seen the impact of the comments on (Wilson)," McGuire said.
"No person should ever feel uneasy, or threatened in football's family, and for that, I am deeply sorry and I apologise unreservedly to Caroline for putting her in that position."
Brayshaw, speaking on his afternoon radio show on Monday, offered his "sincere, unreserved and unqualified apology".
"I know Ed and Danny have already apologised and it is absolutely appropriate that I do too," Brayshaw said.
McLachlan told reporters on Monday the radio segment might have been brushed off as part of football culture in the past, but said such comments could no long be tolerated.
"It's not good enough. We can't say that we as an industry are committed to making and leading change if we don't step up and call it out," McLachlan said.
"Words and jokes have incredible power. The fact that the comments were made on radio a week ago and were not called out is an indictment on everyone working in football.
"The fact we can still argue that this might have been done in jest shows a lack of understanding of this issue.
"I understand that the men who made these comments feel horrified that they could be construed as creating an environment that makes sexist behaviours or a culture of violence against women more acceptable.
"But the truth is these kind of comments do. The statistics and data say so."
Contrary to a report on Monday, McLachlan said he had not asked McGuire to stand down as Collingwood president in the wake of his comments.
Asked whether McGuire's general apology had been enough, McLachlan acknowledged there would be conflicting views on the matter, but said: "The women that I'm listening to and the women I've been speaking to feel that the apology was legitimate and acceptable."
McLachlan said the AFL had broad powers and could "technically" sanction McGuire if it wanted, but thought apologies from the Collingwood president, Brayshaw and Frawley sufficiently addressed the issue.
Former Collingwood captain Tony Shaw also made similar light-hearted comments on 3AW last Monday about drowning Wilson as part of the 'Big Freeze at the G' while Wilson, a regular on the radio station, was alongside him in the commentary box.
McLachlan said Shaw's comments were "just another version of the same story" and were equally unacceptable.
But Wilson said Shaw's comments should not be compared to McGuire's.
"Disgracefully, McGuire had attempted to compare his comments last Monday with a conversation of an entirely different kind held in the 3AW broadcast box involving Tony Shaw. I am so sorry that my colleague, who made a brief remark to my face and there it ended, has been compared with the bully boys," she wrote in The Age.
