Eddie McGuire fumes commentators make light of Mason Cox’s eye protection

Cox, who has undergone a number of eye surgical procedures, performed a vital position within the Magpies’ comeback, kicking two pivotal targets within the last quarter.

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However, a quick melee ensued after his second purpose, resulting in Keays snatching Cox’s goggles from his head.

McGuire expressed his anger and concern concerning Cox’s eye situation, because the participant’s AFL profession was as soon as in critical jeopardy as a result of consecutive surgical procedures in 2019.

McGuire additionally took subject with commentators Nathan Buckley and Garry Lyon for making lighthearted jokes in regards to the incident.

Since the start of the 2022 season, Cox has been sporting protecting goggles because of the threat of additional eye accidents that would probably finish his AFL profession.

At one level, he even confronted momentary blindness and needed to restrict his publicity to gentle for over a month to recuperate his imaginative and prescient.

As a results of his actions, Keays was fined $1000 by the AFL for misconduct. However, McGuire argued that the incident was extra extreme than a easy misconduct cost would recommend.

During an interview on Channel 9‘s Footy Classified, McGuire pointed out that Cox, the league’s solely American participant and standing over 200cm tall, was a simple goal for each on-field rivals and dismissive commentary.

“The thing with Cox is he doesn‘t deserve to get any less attention but he certainly doesn’t need to get extra attention,” he stated.

“I thought it was really, really ordinary, the whole thing.

“That this was [treated like] a novelty, it‘s not, he’s a professional football player who has an eye condition and is wearing glasses because of that. If he could wear contact lenses he would, but he needs the protection of his eyes.

“I just thought it was pretty ordinary to be perfectly honest.

“ I think we have got to get past this whole thing with Mason Cox that he is just an oddity – he kicked two goals to win the game, [and] he‘s a serious footballer, he’s come back from adversity.”

McGuire additionally expressed his disappointment with Buckley and Lyon, acknowledging that he didn‘t want to be overly critical. However, he felt that the incident was trivialised and turned into amusement by the commentary, failing to recognise the risk Cox faces every week and the importance of his eyewear.

“I‘m not going to have a crack at Garry and even Nathan, to a degree there, but every time Garry Lyon calls Coxy getting whacked, everyone is laughing like it’s a comedy act,” McGuire continued.

“This is a guy who is one poke in the eye away from being blind.”

“He‘s had three major surgeries on his eye. He lay on his back in a dead black room for basically a month to try and get his eyesight back and we’re laughing because some narc jumps up, who has to almost do his PB in the high jump, to rip his glasses off.”