Footy Show star Nathan Brown has addressed his vaccination views following a trainwreck live TV segment last week.
The former Richmond goal-kicker was involved in a discussion with fellow panellists, including Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd, when a controversial claim was made about Brownlow medallist Ollie Wines.
The Port Adelaide star on Monday spoke publicly to announce he is “100 per cent back to normal” after a scary incident in Round 4 where he was subbed out of his team’s disastrous loss to Melbourne at half time after experiencing nausea and dizziness, having played just 27 minutes.
The club announced the following day that he was in hospital with a “heart irregularity”.
His health was at the centre of a segment on the Sunday Footy Show where it was speculated his condition may have been linked to Covid-19 vaccination.
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The discussion began when football journalist Damian Barrett said the club was not offering any updates to Wines’ condition in hospital, other than confirmation it was for “nausea slash heart reasons”.
That prompted Brown to ask, “Is there a lot of this going on in world sport at the moment, Damo? A lot of athletes have got these issues?”
“Are you referring to the booster shots and the contracting of Covid?” Barrett said.
Brown replied, “I was referring to the booster shots, that’s obviously the word going around.”
“Look, it’s being discussed,” Barrett said.
“I haven’t been able to get an official line on that from anyone attached to Ollie Wines at this stage, but yeah, the question is being asked and put to me and others, including yourself, by a lot of people, about the possibility of that.”
Channel 9 host Tones chimed in that “it’s not just the heart issues”, pointing out that Lloyd had been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy — facial paralysis — earlier this year.
Bell’s palsy is a known but rare side effect associated with some vaccines.
“Without delving into your private affairs, you’ve got Bell’s palsy at the moment, which hopefully you’re on the back end of that, but there’s a bit of that going around as well,” Jones said.
The former Bombers star first revealed his diagnosis in an interview with the Herald Sun last month, but Sunday’s show appears to be the first time he suggested the vaccine may have been the cause.
“Exactly, heart issues and Bell’s palsy has gone through the roof since the boosters and Covid issues,” Lloyd said.
“We had (sports journalist) Michelangelo Rucci on (3AW) on Friday night and he said that there’s a ward in Adelaide filled with people with similar symptoms to Ollie Wines – nausea, heart issues – so there has to be something more to it.”
Jones then stressed that “we’re not anti-vaxxers”.
Lloyd has since apologised for his involvement in the segment.
Brown has now addressed his comments and is refusing to apologise.
“All I did was ask a simple question — and I asked is there any link to everything that’s going on in the world with Ollie Wines at the moment,” Brown told Triple M’s Friday Huddle.
“We’re hearing a lot of heart issues around the world, is there any link? And Damo said not that I know of. And that was my question.
“As a result of that question I’ve had a lot of text messages and emails and (people) hit me up on social media saying thank you for raising awareness to our plight so all of a sudden I’m an ambassador for the anti-vaxxing community. I’m double vaxxed myself. Caro (veteran football journalist Caroline Wilson) thought it was irresponsible, my comments that weren’t comments. It was a question and (football journalist) Sam McClure said he felt uncomfortable.
“There were a few people who asked if I was going to retract my comments, it was a question, any conversation that most people have at their dinner tables at the moment and I asked Damo a question and that was it. I don’t know why Sam was uncomfortable. I got a lot of support and (abuse), both ways.”
Wines is expected to return for Port Adelaide next weekend.
Wines had already confirmed earlier in the week that he would miss the clash with Carlton but The Herald Sun’s Jon Ralph told Fox Footy on Saturday Wines is set to make a much-needed return against West Coast.
“He says he will play against West Coast next week,” Ralph said.
“He says as it stands we expect him to be available. A deep dark hole they’ve dug themselves, maybe this will be the catalyst.”
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