The fallout to the Michael Clarke fracas in Noosa has added another element this week with Karl Stefanovic in the gun.
Footage of the incident set the internet alight which included the former Australian cricket captain Clarke, Today Show host Stefanovic and their partners, sisters Jade and Jasmine Yarbrough.
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The fracas, which was filmed by a bystander in Noosa on January 10, saw two of Australia’s most high profile celebrities and their partners in a public blow-up. The footage was initially published by The Daily Telegraph.
The public fallout is said to have stemmed from Clarke cheating on Jade with his fashion designer ex-girlfriend Pip Edwards.
Stefanovic was dragged into the anarchy of it all when Clarke unleashed a verbal barrage his way.
“Karlos, I can tell you now c**t, don’t you f**king look away,” the former skipper said.
Despite being an innocent bystander who was thrown into the cauldron, Stefanovic has copped some heat from fellow media members in the wake of the scandal.
Veteran AFL journalist Damien Barrett and media mogul Craig Hutchison dissected the incident on their podcast ‘The Sounding Board’ and took issue with Stefanovic’s handling, or lack thereof, of the fallout.
Craig Hutchison: “On the Today Show Karl and Sara’s first day was in essence the next day, it didn’t get a run on the Today Show.
“Now your views on that Damo? If you’re the employer at Nine are you saying ‘listen, I know this might be uncomfortable – you’re in the middle of the biggest story today, Karl – but we can’t ignore this’ or are you brand protecting and not going through any of that. What would you do?”
Damien Barrett: “Just take me through this, there was no reference at all?”
C.H: “I don’t believe there was a reference at all on the breakfast show on their first day back. Which was a day after the story broke.”
D.B: “On this show, do you reckon I would let you go through an entire show without referencing something that you’re in the papers for?”
C.H: “No chance.”
D.B: “I would’ve known I would have had to address it if I’m on the Sunday Footy Show or this show or whatever. To me you have to address it.
“He probably took the view that he wasn’t the story and he clearly wasn’t, but he was in the story and if he didn’t address it I’m surprised at that.”
C.H: “The network needed to say ‘look this is not ideal for us and we do need to think about our new branding, but we can’t ignore this so let’s have a conversation about how we’re going to deal with it. Karl our advice is to think about this.’”
D.B: “You know that whatever you do or don’t do, it’s going to be a headline. By not speaking it’s a headline, by speaking it’s a headline and probably a bigger one if he says anything.”
C.H: “I thought post that he got on with things very quickly. He had nothing to do with it, he’s just unlucky, he got on with things … his media management was really good other than that I think it should have been addressed.
“I thought the Big Sports Breakfast handling of it was even worse. You can’t come back after holidays on a show that carries your name and you are the co-host of it on a breakfast show with a whole new audience that are probably giving you one go and he didn’t want to talk about it, they got one line out of him about how his hamstring is feeling … like come on.”
D.B: “That makes no sense, why are you employing these people if that’s the case.”
Clarke’s return to the airwaves was torn to shreds by 2GB radio host Ben Fordham over his refusal to delve into details of his infamous Noosa altercation.
Appearing for the first time this year alongside co-hosts Gerard Middleton and Laurie Daley, Clarke was largely spoken for by Middleton, who declared the show wouldn’t be delving into the issue.
“Now of course enormous fascination into Clarkey’s life and we are just hitting this on the head straight away,” Middleton said.
“It is a private matter that Clarkey’s obviously been dealing with, a very, very private matter which unfortunately was made public.
“There’s a lot of factors in play here and Clarkey’s made his statement last week and due to all the factors in play we are moving forward on The Big Sports Breakfast this morning.”
Speaking on 2BG Sydney later in the morning, Fordham criticised Clarke over his weak response to the matter after it was claimed the cricket great would address the matter in his return to the airwaves.
“Michael Clarke was on radio this morning and we had heard from journalists covering the story that he was likely going to address the incident but there was silence from the former Test captain,” Fordham said.
“Clarkey had nothing to say, how cowardly can you get, I mean he’s got a microphone in front of him, he’s sitting in a radio studio, it’s the story everyone’s talking about and Clarkey squibs it.
“Clarkey, you wuss.”
