The footy world has reacted with anger and disbelief after Demons premiership-winner voiced a controversial view on vaccines.
AFL greats have hit out at people’s reasons for opposing Covid-19 vaccination as the issue comes to the forefront in the footy world.
It was revealed earlier this week Adelaide Crows AFLW star Deni Varnhagen had yet to receive a single dose of any vaccine because she wasn’t prepared to commit to getting the jab, while Melbourne premiership winner Tom McDonald called it “ethically wrong” to force people to be vaccinated.
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McDonald is fully vaccinated but doesn’t believe it should be mandatory for people to get the jab, saying he would have “no issue at all” taking the field against unvaccinated opponents.
“That’s why you get vaccinated, you protect yourself. I don’t understand why we need to force other players to,” McDonald said.
“We would’ve got 90 per cent (of people fully vaccinated) as a state anyway and I don’t see why we needed to cause such issues and division by forcing people (to get vaccinated) in many jobs where it’s probably not as necessary.”
The AFL is yet to announce an official policy in regards to players getting the vaccine, but with the Victorian government’s requirement for high-level athletes to either be fully vaccinated or at least have a booking coming into effect last Friday, it could make for a sticky situation should there be any unvaccinated players left.
Backlash after McDonald’s controversial claim
As has been repeated by health professionals so often throughout the pandemic, getting vaccinated is seen as a means of protecting wider society, not just the individual who receives the jab. It also helps to ease the burden placed on Australia’s healthcare system.
This was a point rammed home by Richmond legend turned Channel 7 commentator Matthew Richardson on Twitter on Tuesday. He didn’t specifically refer to McDonald in his tweet, but hit back at the notion raised by the Demons star that getting vaccinated is mainly to “protect yourself”.
“For someone with a close family member with a serious illness and compromised immune system it staggers me that you wouldn’t get vaccinated,” Richardson said. “It’s not just about you and your choice.”
Richardson received plenty of support, including from 2008 Brownlow Medallist Adam Cooney.
“This is the greatest thing anyone has ever tweeted,” Cooney replied. “It’s not just about you, think of others!”
Ex-Hockeyroo and AFLW player Georgie Parker weighed in, writing: “Get the vaccine and protect your community.”
She also responded to Richardson’s tweet with a video from September of Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner. In the clip, Mr Gunner says: “I know I’m supposed to say I respect people’s choices and reasons for not getting vaccinated. I don’t. I don’t understand it. I don’t respect it.
“You don’t get to choose to burden our health system because you refuse to follow preventive health measures. You don’t get to choose to be a spreader of a deadly virus in our community.
“You absolutely do not get to choose to infect Territorians who can’t get vaccinated yet, like our young kids.”
Responding to McDonald’s quotes, footy journalist Max Laughton wrote on Twitter: “You don’t get vaccinated just to protect yourself. You get it so EVERYONE is less likely to get sick. You get it so anyone vaccinated who still has extra risk (like me) is less likely to get it. You get it because it’s so simple to do and incredibly safe.”
Fellow sports reporter Daniel Cherny re-tweeted Laughton’s post, and shared a list of reasons why getting vaccinated is beneficial, from the Australian Department of Health website. Among the list of benefits were “protecting people who can’t be vaccinated due to medical conditions” and “protecting children while research continues to test the safety of Covid-19 vaccines in people under the age of 12”.
“A reminder of why being vaccinated isn’t just about you and freedom of choice is a selfish argument,” Cherny tweeted.
“Also: holding to account public figures who put themselves ahead of public health is not unfair or unnecessary.”
Support still there for freedom of choice
Varnhagen changed her Instagram account to private after news of her vaccine stance went public this week. She has since shared a supportive post from former NRL star and noted anti-vaxxer Frank Winterstein.
AFLW superstar Erin Phillips, a teammate of Varnhagen at the Crows, said she respects people’s right to choose whether to be vaccinated or not, but expects there to be consequences for professional footy players who opt against getting the jab.
“Let’s be clear, everybody has a choice whether they want to be vaccinated or not and whether it is Deni or anyone else in that situation they have a choice,” Phillips said on her Adelaide radio show on Mix 102.3.
“From my point of view it’s the ramifications that come with not being vaccinated.
“I’m assuming in this situation with the AFL it will come to a point where if you are not vaccinated fully you won’t be allowed to play. I’m just assuming.
“I’d love anyone in my team to be able to play and if that means they have to be vaccinated well that’s the rule.
“But no, I’m not going to push anyone who does not want to be vaccinated to be vaccinated.”
Meanwhile, AFL journalist Nat Edwards said she supported McDonald’s stance.
“I agree with Tom wholeheartedly because I’m here to protect myself and if I come across other people in society who choose not to be vaccinated, that is their right, that is their choice,” she told the AFL Daily podcast on Tuesday.
“It’s a choice and I don’t think we should be mandating vaccines for athletes. I’m just not for that so I agree with Tom McDonald.”
Geelong great Jimmy Bartel told AFL Nation he would have loved to hear McDonald expand on his opinion, but praised the Melbourne star for speaking his mind. On the same radio program, journalist Sam McClure told SEN: “I’m with Tom, by the way, I think it’s hard to mandate it.
“But it just becomes really difficult in a team environment. This isn’t (tennis star) Novak Djokovic not wanting to get vaccinated that only affects him and his back pocket and his ability to win slams.”
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