AFL great Garry Lyon has come under fire for calling West Coast Eagles young prodigy Harley Reid a ‘d***head’ with his own personal life called into question by footy fans.
During the West Coast Eagles’ recent match against the Brisbane Lions, Reid gave away seven free kicks and, in the final quarter, responded to heckling fans by raising his middle finger after a late bump from Oscar McInerney.
This gesture prompted the AFL to issue a ‘please explain’ notice to the Eagles, seeking further context before deciding on any potential sanctions.
Eagles coach Andrew McQualter defended Reid’s actions, suggesting such interactions add to the game’s ‘theatre’ and can be beneficial.
The incident was a hot topic on Fox Sports footy show AFL 360, which is co-hosted by Lyon.
Co-host Gerard Whateley introduced the segment on Reid, describing him as ‘the other precocious talent in the news’.
A Brisbane Lions supporter heckles Harley Reid during their clash at the Gabba on Sunday, where the young star gave away seven free kicks
Reid responded with a middle finger salute, prompting a “please explain” from the AFL over his actions
‘The AFL has issued a ‘please explain’, there’s not a lot to explain there,’ he continued.
Lyon then interjected, saying: ‘I can explain it, don’t be a d***head Harley’.
‘We spoke about this last week and he got more criticism. He brought that on himself.
‘As I said last week – and pre-empted this – he’s a 19 year old, he will make a fool of himself, embarrass himself and giving seven free kicks away – no good.
‘But he’s 19, learned a lesson and you can learn it the hard way if you want Harley. You’re making it hard for yourself. But he’ll get there.’
His comments went down like a lead balloon with some footy fans, who took to social media to slam Lyon for his comments on the young Eagles star.
‘Garry Lyon just called Harley Reid a d***head on AFL360 … is this really where we are at?’ asked one viewer.
‘Garry Lyon calling a 19 year old a d*** head on television is everything wrong with media in the AFL. Surely the AFL issue him with a please explain?’ questioned another.
AFL great Garry Lyon called for Reid to stop acting like a “d***head” on television show AFL 360
The former No.1 draft pick has come under extreme scrutiny as the West Coast Eagles try to lift themselves from the bottom of the ladder
‘Not a great moment for Garry there,’ posted another.
Others defended Lyon, though, saying he was actually defending the under-pressure young star.
‘He was joking and was telling Harley to stop acting like a d***head,’ one viewer posted
Another added: ‘He was actually sticking up for him if you watch it and listen to the full context of what he said’.
However others were quick to remind Lyon of his own past, slamming him for calling a young player a d***head after sleeping with his best mate’s wife.
In 2016, Lyon and Brownless experienced a massive and very public falling out after Lyon began a relationship with Brownless’s ex-wife, Nicky.
‘It is actually funny that he said that because of what he did to his best mate and he is calling a 19 year old who is getting provoked by a man in the crowd and hounded by the victorian media a d***head,’ one footy fan pointed out.
‘Garry just needs to think twice before he talks.’
Garry Lyon (centred) with Billy Brownless (left) during happier days before their very public falling out
Lyon was having an affair with Brownless’ wife Nicky. Lyon and Nicky remain together to this day
‘Because Garry Lyon is the gold standard of being a great bloke isn’t he,’ another viewer posted.
‘We all remember what Garry Lyon did,’ another said.
Reid seemed to clap back at the comments made by Lyon overnight, briefly changing his Instagram profile picture to an image of West Coast Eagles bad boy Ben Cousins raising his middle finger.
‘What a KING!! And everyone wonders why I LOVE HIM!! There’s your please explain AFL,’ one West Coast supporter posted about Reid’s profile picture change.
‘Do you think someone at the Eagles suggested take it down?’ another fan asked.
Footy reporter Lachy Reid then replied: ‘I would think so’.
Richmond coach Adam Yze was also a guest on the show and was asked to speak about Reid.
Yze is overlooking one of the youngest rosters in the AFL and knows first-hand what it is like to manage youth, and defended Reid.
Reid changed his profile to a picture of Ben Cousins giving the middle finger for a brief period on Monday night
‘It’s a hard one,’ Yze said.
‘He burst onto the scene last year, he is an amazing talent. To be fair, when he plays well they are generally in most games.
‘He’s going to have a target [on him] based on the fact that he’s a high talent.
‘With us, we’ve got some young, talented players [like] Sammy Lalor who is going to have some scrutiny around him as well.
‘The magnifying glass is obviously just bigger on those players.’
On 7AFL, veteran footy reporter Caroline Wilson also defended Reid.
‘Are we going to create somebody who is going to spend their 30s on the psychiatrists sofa?’ she asked the panel.
