Former Australian rules footballer and television presenter Sam Newman has resigned from all Channel Nine shows after facing widespread condemnation for comments about George Floyd. The decision followed a petition calling for his sacking that gained traction on Friday.
Newman, a former host of the Footy Show, described Floyd as a “piece of shit” on his own podcast, citing Floyd’s criminal record. Floyd died last month after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest. Newman said Floyd’s death “never should have happened” but maintained his derogatory remark.
The comments drew criticism from former AFL players and Channel Nine employees. Journalist Jim Malo, who works for a Nine-owned company, said he was “ashamed this clown is employed by the same company as me”. The petition, sponsored by anti-racism group Democracy in Colour, used the hashtag #StandDownSam.
Newman has a history of controversial behaviour, including transphobic remarks, defending comments about “drowning” journalist Caroline Wilson, and wearing blackface in 1999 to impersonate Indigenous player Nicky Winmar. He was a regular on the Footy Show until its cancellation in 2019 and had been scheduled for a weekly segment on the Sunday Footy Show.
On Twitter, Newman said he and Channel Nine mutually agreed he should withdraw “in the station’s best interests”. The network has not commented further on his resignation.
