On Sunday night, 60 Minutes aired an emotional interview with former Newcastle Knights star Alex McKinnon, who suffered a devastating spinal injury in a game against the Melbourne Storm last year.
McKinnon does not hold a grudge against Jordan McLean, who tackled him, but remains angry at Storm skipper Cameron Smith, who can be seen, in video of the incident, arguing with a ref about the penalty as McKinnon lies motionless on the ground.
The young player, who became a quadriplegic in the incident, slammed Smith’s actions as “fucking ridiculous.”
Smith himself was notably absent from the interview, and sources close to him say that he is angry that 60 Minutes did not offer him right of reply, or an opportunity to defend himself or his actions.
Tomorrow, Smith will captain the Maroons in the State Of Origin decider, but has reportedly said that he will deny all interview requests with Nine before, during and after the broadcast.
60 Minutes producer Tom Malone told The Daily Telegraph that the decision not to approach Smith was a deliberate one, as their sole focus in Sunday night’s story was on McKinnon.
“60 Minutes chose not to contact Cameron Smith before our story went to air, because this was Alex’s story, told by Alex and his family and friends,” the producer said.
“The facts of the story are not in dispute, and the opinions expressed are those honestly held by Alex and his family.”
“This was the first time Alex and his family got to hear each other talk about some of their darkest moments, including the moment Alex wanted to end his life.”
Malone added that Smith was been given the opportunity to tell his side of the story on next Sunday’s 60 Minutes, but that he has declined the show’s invitation.
At a State Of Origin press conference this week, Smith’s team mate Corey Parker spoke on his behalf, saying:
“I’ve known Cameron since I was a young boy and the person I know is that of a humble, good human being. At no stage when those comments were made would Cameron have known of the severity of the tackle. I suppose it’s affected him to some degree. When your integrity gets questioned or someone’s got an opinion on it, it’s never good.”
via Daily Telegraph
