North Melbourne coach Denis Pagan says he wished Wayne Carey had merely apologised to former teammate Anthony Stevens earlier than the soccer membership imploded.
Speaking to his former coach about his notorious 2002 affair with Stevens’ spouse Kelli for the primary time, Carey has revealed particulars of the tryst that rocked Australian soccer.
Carey has beforehand stated the affair continues to be “the biggest regret of my life”.
Speaking on his new podcast, The Truth Hurts, Carey this week stated he by no means thought-about apologising to Stevens within the days that adopted the affair turning into public.
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He stated he made an unsightly, knee-jerk resolution that he needed to go away the soccer membership instantly.
Just a number of days later he walked away in shame from the very membership the place he’s nonetheless broadly regarded to be the best participant to put on a blue and white jumper.
The 51-year-old was a famous person on the sector throughout his taking part in profession, taking part in 272 video games, successful two AFL premierships with the North Melbourne Kangaroos, making seven All-Australian groups together with 4 as captain and being a member of the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
He is now remembered equally for his on-field heroics as he’s his off-field scandals.
As first reported by The Herald Sun, Carey and Pagan have now shared their regrets in regards to the furore.
Carey says on the podcast the pair had by no means spoken about it earlier than.
Pagan stated it wounds him that his former gamers will not be on talking phrases and have by no means mended their friendships again collectively.
It was revealed in August Carey and Stevens have been concerned in a verbal stoush throughout North Melbourne’s reunion for the 1996 premiership group.
Carey insisted on the time the dialog was not heated.
It stays unclear if Carey has ever provided an apology to Stevens.
Stevens stayed silent for years about being betrayed by Carey earlier than lastly happening the file with veteran AFL journalist Mike Sheahan in 2015, telling Fox Footy Carey had by no means apologised to him. Carey has continued to refute the declare.
Pagan believes the bomb might have been defused with an apology within the speedy aftermath of the scandal being found.
“It was the greatest tragedy in my time in coaching. Even to the point now I knew how much pressure you were under,” Pagan stated on the podcast.
“I wish we could have changed it. You could have come out straight away and said, ‘I am terribly, terribly sorry.’
“I thought you were reluctant to say you were sorry at the start.
“It’s easy for me to say I wish you had done this and I wish you had grabbed Stevo and embraced him and said, “I am terribly sorry, whatever you want me to do I will do it”.
“But that is easy for me to say, I don’t want to know the details of it. It is just one of the sad facts of life.
“You talked about regrets, it’s one of your biggest regrets and I am sure even now if you could have done anything to change it, it did destroy the fabric of the football club and we did pick up the pieces a bit but we were never quite the same.
“When I think how close everyone was and how close you were, it was tragic. We had such a bond and it was broken and even now there is still a bit of angst and I hate to see it. All we can do now is pick up the pieces. I see you, I see Glenn (Archer) and I see Anthony and I just wish it could have been like the old times.
“I wish you could have gone up to Echuca for the weekend or Sydney for the weekend and come back and have all been mates and tricked the coach that you’ve only had two chandys and didn’t have a beer and we could have all gone on but it happened, that’s life we’re not going to change it and these things occur.
“When I think of it now it still devastates me to think, I wish it didn’t happen but it’s life.”
Carey responded by saying an apology was by no means an possibility on the time as a result of he believed the bridge had been burned.
“I was really quick to just ring (North Melbourne officials) Geoff Walsh and Greg Miller and rang straight away.
“The thought was, they say fight or flight. But straight away the thought for me was I have got to walk away. There was no other thought in my mind.
“For those who think I got sacked, that wasn’t the case. I quit straight away. There was no thought. The apology thing (to Stevens to save his Kangaroos career) never really came into mind at that point. It was just, “I have to separate myself from the club”.”
Most not too long ago it has been Carey’s love life that has been making headlines.
He went public with new love curiosity Catie O’Neill by way of an Instagram submit in March.
The 28-year-old TikTok star and businesswoman has been seen at public occasions alongside Carey in latest months.
Carey cut up from ex-wife Sally in 2006. The pair share daughter, Ella, born six weeks after the cut up was introduced.
Carey then started relationship former mannequin Kate Neilson.
He then grew to become engaged to Stephanie Edwards in 2015, however separated a yr later.
The pair have a daughter, Charlotte.
He additionally has a son, Carter, with mannequin Jessica Paulke, with whom he cut up from in 2019 after relationship for a yr.
Carey final week additionally made a collection of headlines in his debut podcast after revealing he had been “muzzled” by Channel 7 earlier than he was proven the door by the community.
Source: www.news.com.au
