Talking Footy

Akermanis caught in race row
April 26, 2005 - 8:09PM
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Brisbane Lions star Jason Akermanis has found himself embroiled in yet another controversy after his local radio show was dumped for airing allegedly racist comments.

The Aka and Macca show, featuring Akermanis and former teammate Craig McRae, was punted by Brisbane's indigenous radio station 98.9FM after the flamboyant Akermanis called the station's bosses "monkeys".

Akermanis used the term during the weekly segment last Monday while expressing his disappointment at the producers' decision to cut 30 minutes from the show's timeslot.

"Macca, maybe we can get these monkeys upstairs to give us another half hour which we had the year before," he said.

Listeners of the station were deeply offended by the comments that Akermanis says were never meant to be viewed as racist.

"I would like to publicly apologise for using the word `Monkeys' on our 18 April show," Akermanis said in a written statement on the show's website.

"I by no way meant this in a discriminative manner. I regret my comments and apologise if I have offended anyone."


The incident is just one of a number of Aka clangers and continues the wounded Lions' horrendous start to the season.

Brisbane, participants in the past four AFL grand finals, are languishing at the foot of the ladder with just one win from the opening five rounds.

Akermanis' last major gaffe occurred in the lead up to the 2003 premiership decider against Collingwood when he disrupted his side's preparations by declaring he wanted to defect to Sydney.

The former Brownlow medallist said after the game he was just using it as a way to drive up his price.

Other Akermanis classics include a potential switch to rugby union, refusal to play alongside former Kangaroos star Wayne Carey and talking to deceased family members.

Swans wrote:

Akermanis' last major gaffe occurred in the lead up to the 2003 premiership decider against Collingwood when he disrupted his side's preparations by declaring he wanted to defect to Sydney.

The former Brownlow medallist said after the game he was just using it as a way to drive up his price.

I really hated the guy after that. In fact I'm sick of players threatening to defect to the Swans just to boost their contract price.

Aker is an idiot anyway. Brisbane listeners are probably better off not hearing his stupid rants on the airwaves anyway.

I know you and everyone else will find this very hard to believe but i like him, he does alot for the publicity of footy... and as much as i try to dislike him i can't.

I'll take this quote for example...

Akermanis said before the Round 2 match against Port Adelaide at Aami Stadium "Ahh yeah, well i reckon there may be about 4 teeth all together in the crowd"



Using the term "Monkeys" is quite offenly used in todays comman language, he's basically reffering to them as in they don't know what there doing and such... when i first read i didn't see the offence but then it came to me. I think people really do need to lay off in taking offence to racism, but then again i guess it goes as to how Aker expressed himself... if it was fluently... then once again im on his side.

Cheers!

SBR wrote:

Akermanis said before the Round 2 match against Port Adelaide at Aami Stadium "Ahh yeah, well i reckon there may be about 4 teeth all together in the crowd"

Actually I'll pay that one.

Who is Akeerwanker? Oh yeah he the inbred we at the Power did over at last years Grand Final!

SBR wrote:

Using the term "Monkeys" is quite offenly used in todays comman language, he's basically reffering to them as in they don't know what there doing and such... when i first read i didn't see the offence but then it came to me. I think people really do need to lay off in taking offence to racism, but then again i guess it goes as to how Aker expressed himself... if it was fluently... then once again im on his side.

I was coming around to that way of thinking until I read this:

couriermail wrote:

98.9FM general manager Tiga Bayles said last night the word "monkey" had been used for a long time as a derogatory term for black people.

"If you disregard the race issue it is still offensive – he wouldn't call Leigh Matthews a monkey in public," Mr Bayles said.

He said Akermanis was not welcome back at the station and his apology was not genuine.

"He gave lip service towards an apology," Mr Bayles said.

"He (Akermanis) made out he didn't understand he'd done something wrong."

He said the station made the decision to cancel the show last Friday and the board would meet to discuss it today.

"He's got a reputation for being a loose cannon and we were concerned it could happen again."

I think the point raised by the station manager is valid. I mean take away the race issue and ask yourself, would Aker ever dare call Leigh Matthews or someone on the Board of the Lions a monkey in public? I think not.

I don't think even Aker is that stupid. There is nothing bigger in sledging than racism, and he surely would not have said it that way. There are a few derogotory names for indigineous people but 'Monkeys' is not a term I've heard of. If he was being racist deliberately he would have surely used a different term. We are all too precious, and need to stop the do gooders making us tip toe around every word we say. I don't like Aker but if anyone else said it, would it have been an issue?

I actually tend to agree that he probably didn't say it as a racist comment, however that aside, would he call his coach or members of the Lions board monkeys on air? How do you think they would react?

boof1978 wrote:

I don't think even Aker is that stupid. There is nothing bigger in sledging than racism, and he surely would not have said it that way. There are a few derogotory names for indigineous people but 'Monkeys' is not a term I've heard of. If he was being racist deliberately he would have surely used a different term. We are all too precious, and need to stop the do gooders making us tip toe around every word we say. I don't like Aker but if anyone else said it, would it have been an issue?

100% agree with you here mate, "monkey" doesn't even mean what they think it's intended to. Your definately right that too many people in this day and age tend to take things to heart way too easily... i mean fairs fair and if someone is obviously intending to say something racist then they should be delt with... but Aker was only using the term "Monkeys" as in "stupid".

Anyway, people will take this in any way and it depends how strongly they feel on the matter.

Cheers and Welcome Boof.

Yeah, but what if he said......turkeys or pigs or dogs, I'm sure everyone would have said he's having a go at someone. Anyway, I don't know why anyone's worried, who would be listening to an AFL radio show in Brisbane!!