Footy coach SACKED after posing vile comment about Tammy Hembrow's date with AFL star Bailey Smith
Harvey Brunswick Leschenault Football Club formally sacked League coach John Baggetta on Friday following his slur against Hembrow that went viral, calling her a 'c** bucket'.
AFL star Bailey Smith and Hembrow were recently spotted together on the Gold Coast, sharing lunch at a popular waterfront restaurant and showing public displays of affection.
The outing fuelled speculation about a new romance, coming only two months after Hembrow's split from her ex-husband.
Later, she appeared on social media wearing what seemed to be Smith's jacket. Smith has declined to clarify the relationship.
Photographers and reporters turned out to Geelong training with Smith the centre of attention, but the Cats star only responded with a tirade of expletives in their direction.
Their alleged union on the Gold Coast sparked enormous chatter on social media platforms, including plenty of horrendous comments directed at Hembrow.
One of the worst of those slurs was posted in the comments section of a news article by Baggetta.
'He's just trying to keep his relevance,' Baggetta posted about Smith.
'And she is just a c** bucket,' he then posted about Hembrow.
His comment sparked a barrage of calls for him to be sacked, with the Harvey Brunswick Leschenault Football Club officially wielding the axe on Friday.
'The board of the Harvey Brunswick Leschenault Football Club wish to inform all players, members, officials and supporters that John Baggetta has been terminated as League coach,' the statement read.
'Regarding the social media post made by John, we do not condone those comments, and they do not reflect the values or standards of the Harvey Brunswick Leschenault Football Club at any level.
'We have a large Junior base of players, parents, supporters and officials and others that also believe that such comments are not appropriate, and not to be tolerated in society.'
Bailey Smith returned to training where he was not happy to see a media scrum waiting for him
Australian journalist, femicide researcher and feminist activist Sherele Moody had initially called out Baggetta for his comment and demanded the club sack him.
'I shared a post recently with a range of disgusting misogynist slurs by Australian men directed at Tammy Hembrow after she went on a date,' Moody posted.
'The comments by these men were utterly disgusting and unjustifiable.
'Old mate John Baggetta's comment was the worst - he called Tammy a C** Bucket.
'John's a coach with the Harvey Brunswick Leschenault Football Club in Brunswick, Western Australia.
'A man responsible for mentoring and shaping the points of view of young men is just casually throwing around sexist slurs like confetti (turns out he drops a few bangers on X as well).'
The club said it consulted with its women's side and members before making the decision to sack Baggetta.
'We are incredibly proud to have a women's team, female representation on our board and women actively involved as members of our club,' the statement continued.
'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 necessarry.
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