Was Eddie heard baiting Hird?

[Troy G]

I've sent the following question to AFL media.

"With regard to the James Hird "Footy Show" comments, can you please check the tape and tell me if it's Eddie McGuire also asking James to name the umpire? I'm sure there's two voices asking! If it is, then is it proper for a Club President to be egging on a player to name an umpire in such circumstances?"

[floppinab]

That show has plenty of form, check this out, Robbie Muir :

http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2004/04/11/1081621833664.html

"His appearance on the 100th program of Channel Nine's Footy Show in 1997 caused a sensation and was a ratings bonanza. Reviewing the show, Scott Palmer wrote: "Every second word of Muir's recitation of umpires had to be bleeped out. He was finally told to leave by host Eddie McGuire, but not before abusing and pushing Sam Newman."

Muir says he regrets his performance.

"I was set up" he says.

"I got down there. They put me in the powder room and the door flew open ? it was full of bloody beer. They left me there for about an hour. This guy came out and said, 'I want you to fire it up a bit, I want you to say this and this'. So they increased me payment and I said, 'Yeah, I could do that'."

His payment for the show, he says, rose from $700 to about $1200. "It wasn't worth it for the trouble it caused the family. Ex-missus got on the phone . . . 'you dickhead'"
"

[NMWBloods]

Originally posted by floppinab
"His appearance on the 100th program of Channel Nine's Footy Show in 1997 caused a sensation and was a ratings bonanza. Reviewing the show, Scott Palmer wrote: "Every second word of Muir's recitation of umpires had to be bleeped out. He was finally told to leave by host Eddie McGuire, but not before abusing and pushing Sam Newman.""

As I recall this was one of many faked segments that was part of a sequence of flashbacks over the 100 shows (such as Sheedy dressed as a clown and doing a song, a lady having a baby in the audience, etc).