The footy coach who used a disgusting slur to describe fitness influencer Tammy Hembrow has made his first public comment since losing his job as his history of vile and intolerant comments on social media comes to light.
John Baggetta was sacked as coach of Harvey Brunswick Leschenault Football Club after posting a vile social media attack on Hembrow, calling her a ‘c*** bucket.’
The offensive outburst came in response to headlines about Hembrow’s public date with Geelong AFL star Bailey Smith.
Once the comment surfaced, it was quickly condemned nationwide. The backlash placed heavy pressure on Harvey Brunswick Leschenault Football Club to take decisive action.
Initially, reports suggested the club attempted to deal with the matter by issuing Baggetta a $500 fine for breaching its social media rules.
However, the severity of his remark and the public reaction made that penalty appear grossly inadequate.
Disgraced footy coach John Baggetta (pictured) faced national condemnation after his vile comment about Tammy Hembrow
Tammy Hembrow’s date with Bailey Smith sparked headlines that fuelled the shocking outburst from Baggetta
Smith and Hembrow set tongues wagging with their loved-up displays on the Gold Coast
Within days, the club reversed course and confirmed his immediate dismissal from the senior coaching role.
Now, Baggetta has spoken out and apologised for his comment.
‘I have owned my mistake and have apologised unreservedly,’ Mr Baggetta told the ABC.
However, the slur against Hembrow was far from the only derogatory comment Baggetta has made on social media.
‘Can the real Fremantle stand up or are they going to squat to p*** forever,’ he posted in 2024.
In 2023, he attacked AFLW champion and current West Coast Eagles assistant coach Daisy Pearce.
A news report had been posted questioning her presence in the Geelong sheds when she was an assistant coach at the Cats.
‘Obviously can’t cook or she [sic] be in the kitchen,’ Baggetta replied in the comments section.
The club reportedly considered a fine for Baggetta (pictured), but public pressure mounted until officials announced his immediate dismissal as coach
Baggetta’s history of homophobic and sexist remarks resurfaced, painting a disturbing pattern of intolerance across multiple social media posts
The former coach’s social media history includes slurs against women, footy players, journalists and the LGBTQIA+ community (pictured)
In 2018 Baggetta referred to News Corp columnist Susie O’Brien as a ‘slag’ after she was at the receiving end of vulgar comments from former AFL Show host Sam Newman.
In a September 2017 post, Baggetta captioned a photo of a same-sex marriage postal survey with a homophobic slur, posting ‘sorry f***s’.
There are also other homophobic, misogynist and anti-transgender comments too vile for Daily Mail to publish.
Baggetta has since locked his social media profiles and declined to comment on previous posts.
South West Football League [SWFL] president Barry Tate said the competition wanted to distance itself from Baggetta’s comments.
‘I’m pretty disappointed,’ Tate said.
‘That stuff that was happening maybe 50 years ago … we should be moving on.’
The Harvey Brunswick Leschenault Football Club, WA Football and Country Football WA have all condemned the comments by Baggetta (pictured)
‘It’s really important for the young kids coming through that they do have good role models.’
In a joint statement to the ABC, WA Football and Country Football WA said Baggetta’s comments did not reflect their values.
‘We are aware of a social media post from a senior coach in country WA and strongly condemn the sexist, vile nature of the comments made,’ they said.
WA Football and Country Football WA said Baggetta’s remarks went against their values.
‘We do not condone these comments, and they do not reflect the values or standards of the Harvey Brunswick Leschenault Football Club at any level,’ HBL’s board said in a statement.
‘We are incredibly proud to have a women’s team, female representation on our board and women actively involved as members of our club.
‘We have consulted with members of our women’s side, and we are committed to offering them and all the females in our club any support necessary.’
