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Baywatch star dies after lengthy health battle

<p><em>Baywatch</em> actor Michael Newman has died at the age of 68 after a lengthy battle with Parkinson's disease. </p> <p>The actor, who played  lifeguard Mike “Newmie” Newman on <em>Baywatch</em> in the 1990s, was diagnosed with the neurological condition 18 years ago, and died “from heart complications” on Sunday evening “surrounded by his family and friends.”</p> <p>His death was confirmed Tuesday by Newman’s close friend, Matt Felker, who recently directed the Hulu docu-series about <em>Baywatch</em>.</p> <p>“I got to see Mike the last time he was conscious and he looked [at] me and in typical Mike fashion said, ‘You’re just in time,’” Felker told <a href="https://people.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>People</em>.</a></p> <p>Newman was the only <em>Baywatch</em> cast member who was a real-life lifeguard. He appeared on 150 episodes of the show, the most of anyone except David Hasselhoff.</p> <p>While starring on Baywatch, he continued to work as a full-time firefighter and returned to the job after the show ended in 2001, until he retired after 25 years.</p> <p>Newman was 50 when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2006, as he spoke about living with the disease just months ago. </p> <p>“This terminal disease has allowed me a lot of thinking time, which I maybe didn’t want, but it’s brought me wisdom,” Newman told <em>People</em> in August.</p> <p>“My body has changed so slowly that I hardly notice it, yet I am constantly reminded that Parkinson’s has now become the centre of my life,” he added.</p> <p>“I am cherishing the days that I get to be on this earth with family and friends,” he went on. “I’m taking life seriously.”</p> <p>Newman spent the final years of his life raising money with the Michael J. Fox Foundation to help find a cure for Parkinson’s.</p> <p>The late star is survived by his wife of 36 years, Sarah, their children Chris and Emily, and their 1-year-old granddaughter, Charlie.</p> <p><em>Image credits: SplashNews.com/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

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Why Sam Newman could be banned from the MCG

<p>Sam Newman could face a two-year ban from the MCG over this one simple act. </p> <p>The former AFL player, who has been a member of the Melbourne Cricket Club for more than 50 years, could be banned from next year's Grand Final after he revealed that he had "transferred a ticket" to his son's friend earlier this week. </p> <p>“My son said ‘have you got any tickets?’ I said ‘No, but I get a ticket from the MCG because I am a member’,” he explained on his <em>You Cannot Be Serious</em> podcast.</p> <p>“I said ‘why don’t you get one from the MCG’?</p> <p>“So he applied and got one and he had a friend in Perth who he gave the ticket to.</p> <p>“Then he called me on the day and said his friend couldn’t get in because ‘they said he was trying to impersonate you’ (Newman) and ‘that the other bit of bad news is you have been suspended from going to next year’s grand final because you have tried to sneak someone in on your ticket’.</p> <p>“I had no intention of trying to sneak anyone in. I just thought if I get issued a ticket I can give it to someone," he continued.</p> <p>Despite the suspension, the former footy star said he "couldn't care less" about the potential suspension.</p> <p>“Ignorance is bliss. I don’t care if they ban me from every Grand Final because while they go on with that pompous, arrogant, nonsense beforehand (the Welcome to Country), I just won’t go.”</p> <p>In a statement shared to the <em>Herald Sun</em>, the MCC noted that all members were advised of the restrictions around tickets for the Brisbane Lions vs Sydney Swans grand final ahead of the game. </p> <p>“The Melbourne Cricket Club does not make comment in relation to disciplinary matters and all members must adhere to the Club’s Code of Conduct,” a spokesperson said.</p> <p>“Eligible members of the Melbourne Cricket Club were able to access the 2024 AFL Grand Final subject to membership restrictions which were communicated to members in advance of the event.”</p> <p>Newman will wait to see whether he will receive any punishment, which would range from a membership suspension or restrictions between six months and two years.</p> <p><em>Images: X</em></p>

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Heroic great-grandma saves two-year-old from collapsed ceiling

<p>In a heart-stopping moment of bravery and maternal instinct, 88-year-old Nicky Panagiotidis shielded her great-grandson, two-year-old Harvey, from a collapsing ceiling in their Melbourne home.</p> <p>The incident occurred at Panagiotidis' residence in Ascot Vale, where she was caring for Harvey late in the afternoon.</p> <p>According to Harvey's mother, Nicole Brown, the terrifying ordeal unfolded suddenly. As the ceiling began to crack, Panagiotidis swiftly reacted, rolling over off the couch to cover young Harvey with her own body. Brown, overwhelmed with gratitude and admiration for her grandmother's quick thinking, remarked, "I just know that motherly instinct that she has went through her to be a hero - she is actually a hero for him," <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/ascot-vale-great-grandmother-saves-grandson-from-ceiling-collapse/9f2bd38f-5254-4f53-981b-e3fb4b9c1bd9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">she told 9News</a>.</p> <p>In a moment of urgency, Panagiotidis managed to contact her daughter, Julie Polimos, informing her of the dire situation: "The ceiling is on top of me and we can't move." Emergency services promptly arrived at the scene, discovering the pair with thankfully minimal injuries.</p> <p>Despite the trauma of the event, Panagiotidis displayed remarkable resilience. Despite suffering bruising on her back and shoulders, she managed to walk to the ambulance and was later discharged from the hospital.</p> <p>Speaking of her mother's strength, Polimos highlighted Panagiotidis' dedication to traditional values, noting her commitment to home-cooked Greek Mediterranean meals over takeaways. "She doesn't buy takeaways, she always cooks home meals... Greek Mediterranean meals," Polimos proudly stated.</p> <p>The family attributes the ceiling collapse to a water leak, which they had noticed a week prior, observing cracks and sagging in the structure. However, amidst the unfortunate circumstances, they are immensely grateful for the fortunate outcome and the selfless actions of Panagiotidis, which will undoubtedly be remembered as a testament to the extraordinary love shared within the family.</p> <p><em>Images: 9News</em></p>

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Sam Newman calls for an end to "divisive" Indigenous symbols

<p>Sam Newman has called for all "divisive" Indigenous symbols, including the Aboriginal flag, to be banned from major events after the defeat of the Voice to Parliament referendum. </p> <p>The former AFL player, who recently encouraged sports fans to boo during the Welcome to Country at the AFL grand final, has once again taken aim at First Nations Australians after Indigenous symbols were used on awards handed out at the Melbourne Marathon on Sunday. </p> <p>Speaking on his <em>You Cannot Be Serious</em> podcast, Newman questioned why Aboriginal artworks adorned the medals and ribbons handed out to participants of the marathon. </p> <p>"People just cannot help themselves," he said.  </p> <p>"The Melbourne Marathon was run last Sunday, and everyone who ran in it got a medal ... the pandering and sycophantic crap. All the ribbons had snakes and lizards and were decked out in Indigenous artwork."</p> <p>When challenged by his co-host, Newman doubled on his controversial opinion. </p> <p>"Why can't you just have an Australian flavour for the Melbourne Marathon? (Why) do you have to keep pandering to it all for? Why aren't we just one people? What do you do that for? They can't help themselves."</p> <p>Newman also welcomed the defeat of the Voice to Parliament referendum, and took aim at disappointed Yes voters who were mourning the defeat. </p> <p>He said, "The people who were the Yes voters said 'we're going to fly the Aboriginal flags at half-mast'. Well, that's good, we've got them half way down let's remove them right down to the bottom and not fly them at all."</p> <p>Ironically, after beginning the rant about the Voice, he welcomed the idea from Indigenous leaders to hold a 'Week of Silence' to grieve the outcome of the referendum. </p> <p>"How fantastic is that? Let's have a year of silence and not talk about it," Newman said.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

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"Nobody wins": Sam Newman provides update after explosive outburst

<p>The future of Sam Newman's podcast is in jeopardy after his co-host Don Scott has officially quit the program. </p> <p>The shock exit comes after Newman launched into an expletive-ridden tirade at Scott last week in a now deleted segment of the podcast, which ended with Newman telling Scott to "f**k off" as he left the building. </p> <p>Now, Scott has returned to the You <em>Cannot Be Serious</em> podcast, but only to confirm he isn't coming back. </p> <p>“You do whatever you want to do … (but) what is the point of trying to have a discussion with somebody who is going off their brain?” Scott asked.</p> <p>“You do not talk to anybody no matter whether it is on-air or wherever in life when they are not rational, so you walk away."</p> <p>“I’m not getting into this … This is like a domestic and nobody wins in a domestic."</p> <p>“You can put your view as much as you like and I am not here to defend or whatever else."</p> <p>“Everybody has a different personality. I am not in to conflict.”</p> <p>Newman, who refused to believe he overreacted during the argument, asked, “Can we finally say that you’re not going to do the podcast anymore? Is that what’s going to happen?”</p> <p>Scott replied, “That’s fine at the moment, no.”</p> <p>Newman doubled down, saying, “This is history … This is breaking news. Don has now left the building, as Elvis has, and he’s not going to do the podcast anymore."</p> <p>“This is another show of disgraceful behaviour from someone who is acting like a child … it’s beyond belief.”</p> <p>Later on social media, Newman said that if Scott wasn't taking part in the podcast anymore, he wasn't sure how long they would continue with the show. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyPXhh5vX0W/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyPXhh5vX0W/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by John ‘Sam’ Newman (@originalsmartassam)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“Won’t do it without Don, and even if he reconsiders, it will not be the same. So …”</p> <p>He finished the video by leaving the future of the podcast up the air, saying “<em>You Cannot Be Serious</em>, I don’t know if we’ll be on again but who cares.”</p> <p>Speaking to the <a href="https://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/fiona-byrne/sam-newman-blows-his-stack-as-don-scott-quits-their-podcast/news-story/97e08f9c1549100c36e0dfc7fe46cfab" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Herald Sun</em></a> after the podcast dropped, Newman labelled Scott’s exit a “pathetic act of treachery”.</p> <p>“I am a friend of Don’s, yes, nice to know who you are dealing with though, someone who won’t stand up and face the music if you have a disagreement, not sure how that works,” he said.</p> <p>“Walking away from something shows a complete disregard for any relationship you have had in the past.</p> <p>“That is just a pathetic act of treachery.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images / Instagram </em></p>

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"F*** off, go home": Sam Newman loses it at podcast co-host

<p>Sam Newman's podcast could be on the rocks after an expletive-ridden tirade caused a rift between the pair. </p> <p>The former AFL player hosts the <em>You Cannot Be Serious</em> podcast with Don Scott, who stormed off in the middle of a recording. </p> <p>The<em> Herald Sun</em> first reported Newman’s foul-mouthed blow up at Scott over technical issues they were having in the studio. </p> <p>“Holy s**t. Jesus Christ, if you touch that f***ing thing again. Stop it, I’m serious, f*** you, God almighty,” Newman said.</p> <p>Newman went on to say: “I can’t do it. If you could f***ing do something properly for once in your f***ing life, don’t touch the microphone and speak into it and stop eating. F***. Go out, go home.”</p> <p>As Scott appeared to walk away, Newman said, “Good, f*** off”.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cx9g3W9vuRB/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cx9g3W9vuRB/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by John ‘Sam’ Newman (@originalsmartassam)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Newman posted a video to his Instagram page to promote the episode of the podcast, with his producer saying, "We've just had the biggest blow up that I've ever seen, and I don't know if Don is going to be back."</p> <p>Sam then chimed in, saying "Don has left the premises! This podcast could be the last one we ever do because he left!"</p> <p>Newman and Scott have both spoken publicly since the argument with Newman admitting he “temporarily lost it” when Scott broke a microphone and headphones.</p> <p>When approached by the <em>Herald Sun</em> for a comment on the blow up, Don Scott refused to confirm if he would ever return to the podcast, leaving its future up in the air. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images / Instagram </em></p>

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Sam Newman backs down on controversial Grand Final plans

<p>Sam Newman has remarkably backed down on his plans to boo during the Welcome to Country acknowledgement at the upcoming AFL grand final. </p> <p>The former AFL star <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/sam-newman-encourages-aussies-to-boo-during-welcome-to-country" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made waves</a> last week as he called for footy fans to boo and drown out the traditional welcome by First Nations Australians, with many quick to call his plans "racist" and "disrespectful". </p> <p>Newman even seemed to <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/sam-newman-grilled-point-blank-are-you-a-racist" target="_blank" rel="noopener">double down</a> on his claims that the Welcome to Country was somehow more divisive that uniting, as some outraged Aussies even called for him to be removed from thew AFL Hall of Fame. </p> <p>However, the 77-year-old has now quickly back-tracked his statements, saying he will not be booing during the Welcome to Country at the AFL grand final on Saturday. </p> <p>"I wouldn't boo at the grand final, but it was just a flippant throw away line, I disagree with the Welcome to Country at the grand final," he said on his podcast.</p> <p>"My point is that every single thing you go to now, you go into a library, you go into anywhere at all, the whole thing starts with it."</p> <p>"The whole thing makes you feel guilty for being here."</p> <p>"When is it ever enough that we say 'hang on a minute, this is enough, how much further do we want to keep going?'"</p> <p>Newman again went on to say that he believed the Welcome to Country ceremony does not "unite us".</p> <p>"I said last week that we should boo the Welcome to Country, it was an extravagant statement."</p> <p>"(The Welcome to Country has) gone overboard and the social elites are only trying to placate their own white prejudice by feeling virtuous that they keep going on and on with this."</p> <p>"This is why I criticised the AFL, it's just become a minefield of nonsense, they've got to pull it back."</p> <p>"(It's) not uniting us, that is my point. Standing on the MCG on grand final day and saying 'you're welcome to the country and we give you permission to play on the ground', that's not uniting us."</p> <p>"That's showing the world that we are a divided nation, that's my point."</p> <p>Since Sam Newman's original statement, senator <span style="caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji'; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;">Lidia Thorpe has </span><span style="color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica Neue, Arial, sans-serif, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, Segoe UI Symbol, Noto Color Emoji;">blasted his comments, saying he is missing the point on what the Welcome to Country is about. </span></p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">"Sam Newman, I'm not sure why he's even in the news. He's irrelevant to any debate of the time," she said on <em>Today</em>.</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">"It's about peace. The whole message behind it is respect."</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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Sam Newman shares tragic update on Rex Hunt

<p>The renowned football commentator and former AFL/VFL star, Rex Hunt, has once again been admitted to a healthcare facility as he continues to battle with his mental health.</p> <p>Just last week, Hunt made a brief appearance at a media event and seemed to be in good spirits. However, on Friday, he was readmitted to a care facility.</p> <p>Sam Newman, a former AFL star and controversial media personality, has provided an update on Hunt's condition. Newman, who is a close friend of Hunt, expressed his concerns for Hunt's current state of mind. He emphasised the importance of Hunt taking a break from the public eye and focusing on his overall well-being – spiritually, physically, and mentally.</p> <p>“It is well documented that I am a friend of Rex Hunt and I worry for his present state of mind. He should give himself a break from public life and focus on his wellbeing spiritually, physically and mentally," Newman said to <a href="https://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/fiona-byrne/sam-newman-urges-rex-hunt-to-prioritise-his-health/news-story/67ac590bd791341a26533f5ae7334243?amp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Herald Sun</a>. "He is a good friend, and we all want the best for him.”</p> <p>Another longtime friend of Hunt, former athlete, manager and former Mayor of Brighton John Locco, shared his hope for Hunt's steady progress towards recovery. Locco conveyed that many people are in support of Hunt and wish him well during this challenging time: “We are hopeful that over time that he can make steady progress to recovery and there are many people in support of Rex who wish him well in his current situation.”</p> <p>In July, Newman had previously disclosed that the 74-year-old Hunt, who battles bipolar depression, was not doing well. He revealed that Hunt was under the care of an institution and facing a decline in his mental health.</p> <p>Hunt's illustrious career includes two VFL/AFL premierships as a player and a successful stint as a football commentator on radio. He also gained fame through his television fishing show, which garnered a dedicated fan following.</p> <p>Hunt has been open about his mental health struggles, particularly after being hospitalised in January following an incident on a Victorian freeway. He acknowledged the role of painkilling drugs in his life, which he became dependent on after a neck operation seven years ago. This dependency led to significant changes in his life, especially in his mental and emotional well-being. Hunt even disclosed that he had experienced an opioid overdose at one point, resulting in a rapid decline in his health.</p> <p>In this difficult period, Hunt's friends and supporters continue to rally around him, hoping for his recovery and well-being.</p> <p><em>Images: Facebook / Getty Images</em></p>

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Sam Newman grilled point-blank: "Are you a racist?"

<p>Sam Newman has been left struggling to come up with an answer after being asked if he is a racist.</p> <p>The former AFL player spoke with Tony Jones on 3AW radio on Thursday, as he doubled down on recent comments that encouraged Australians to boo during Welcome to Country acknowledgements.</p> <p>While defending his opinions, Newman was asked point-blank by Jones, "Are you a racist?"</p> <p>Newman stuttered in response, "Now... what a... No, no, please..."</p> <p>Jones clarified his question, "I think there would be people listening to this at the moment with an open mind that would want me to ask that question."</p> <p>Newman became immediately defensive, asking in retaliation, "Please... now you tell me what you think a racist is besides saying me ... Who have I vilified? I don't think you know what racism is. </p> <p>"Racism is about hate primarily and it's if you defile, decry or degrade someone, think you're superior than them or try to dominate them."</p> <p>"It's the most overworked word in the English lexicon at the minute... you tell me why anything I've said and what I've done is anything to do with racism."</p> <p>Newman then went on to highlight the past controversy surrounding Indigenous AFL legend Adam Goodes, saying he was relentlessly booed while playing because of an incident on the field, and not because of his race.</p> <p>"[In 2015] Adam Goodes was booed because he pretended to throw a spear at the Carlton cheer squad after the Swans were beating them by 10 goals at half-time and wondered why people... people get booed on the football field, not because of their skin colour, but because of things they do," Newman said.</p> <p>"I know that, everyone knows that. Then the AFL waded into this... and said 'please don't boo Adam Goodes'. That's like red rag to a bull."</p> <p>Contrary to Newman's comments, Goodes had been booed for weeks prior to tha incident by the crowd every time he neared the ball, with the crowd escalating their behaviour, which resulted in fans being kicked out of the stadium.</p> <p>Newman also insisted he was not attempting to incite violence against First Nations Australians after he urged people to boo the Welcome to Country at the AFL Grand Final.</p> <p>"We like to go to the football and watch the game without being told to vote for the gay marriage proposal, which is fine, without being told to vote for the Voice - I know (the AFL) has retracted their direction to vote Yes for the Voice. Why do they get involved?" he said.</p> <p>"I'll tell you. It's an absolute hoax. It's a rort. Welcome to Country. Why do we have to be welcomed to the country we live in? Why is that? It is just a mark of division. The people who welcome you to country get a nice stipend out of it. Why do they charge to have it? It is just a rort."</p> <p>Just prior to his radio appearance, senator Lidia Thorpe once again blasted his comments on the <em>Today Show</em>.</p> <p>"Sam Newman, I'm not sure why he's even in the news. He's irrelevant to any debate of the time," she said on Thursday morning.</p> <p>"It's about peace. The whole message behind it is respect."</p> <p>"Sam Newman is not a respectful man at the best of times. He needs to educate himself."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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“If you’re reading this, I have died”: Breast cancer advocate’s powerful last words

<p dir="ltr">Breast cancer advocate Nicky Newman has passed away at the age of 35, leaving a posthumous message to her dedicated followers. </p> <p dir="ltr">The influencer has been documenting her journey battling stage 4 breast cancer with her 300,000 followers on Instagram, sharing the ups and downs of her disease. </p> <p dir="ltr">The British woman’s death was confirmed by her husband Alex, who posted Nicky’s final message to those who supported her through her cancer journey.</p> <p dir="ltr">"If you're reading this it means I have died, I made it 5 & half years though, not bad for a stage 4 breastie hey," the post began.</p> <p dir="ltr">"And none of this 'she fought her battle nonsense', I didn't lose anything, the cancer eventually took over & that's okay, we all knew this would happen."</p> <p dir="ltr">The inspiring woman recalled being told she had breast cancer and how she chose to embrace life during the time she had left.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I don't think we are ever prepared to hear the words, we think we are indestructible & a magic cure will appear, but the truth is we all live this life day to day (we just knew our days are shorter)," she continued.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CxVtBF7Itxy/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CxVtBF7Itxy/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Nicky & Mr G - Go Grab Life! (@nicknacklou)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">"So please promise me to cherish those around you and give your friends and loved ones the biggest squeezes! GO GRAB LIFE!</p> <p dir="ltr">"You never truly know what is coming around the corner - so don't take anything for granted."</p> <p dir="ltr">In the hours after Nicky’s last post, Alex shared some thoughts of his own to her Instagram account, explaining why he thought Nicky’s story resonated with so many. </p> <p dir="ltr">He recalled a conversation he had with this wife, saying, "People instantly love and are drawn to you because ever since diagnosis, at the worst time of our lives, we chose not to mourn the time we are losing but rather to celebrate and cherish the time that we have left - however long that may be."</p> <p dir="ltr">"She has created a legacy here, a place where anyone can see that life is for positivity and smiles and happiness. Even through hardship…even if it seems impossible."</p> <p dir="ltr">Both Alex and Nicky’s posts racked up hundreds of thousands of likes, with people flocking to the comments to share how Nicky’s strength had had an impact on their lives. </p> <p dir="ltr">One person wrote, “Life is so unexplainably cruel at times…and even when it was for you, you still came on here and raised awareness for all of us, and our future generations - of the importance of things that without you educating us, we wouldn’t know without having to go and research ourselves.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Thankyou for putting us first, and for making me see how precious life is, & how important it is to grab it.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

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Sam Newman encourages Aussies to boo during Welcome to Country

<p>Sam Newman has caused a stir after he encouraged Aussies to boo during the Welcome to Country acknowledgement at the upcoming AFL Grand Final.</p> <p>The sporting legend, who staunchly opposes the Yes vote, told <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/afl/article-12538667/Sam-Newman-welcome-country-boo-AFL-grand-final.html?ito=social-facebook_Australia&fbclid=IwAR16kiBQgzp8PA53n2TtbysHYzk7AiC2jg_SLelrmeqsplqeUnvuELevJls" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Daily Mail Australia</em></a> that the traditional ceremony was being used for political power, and everyday Aussies shouldn't be forced to listen to it at events. </p> <p>“If we are at all serious about the Welcome to Country and the nonsense that has suddenly taken over in the last 20 years from a completely harmless introduction by Ernie Dingo some years ago and people have latched onto it,” he told the publication. </p> <p>“What about this, next time you go to a public event like the Grand Final or a football game or any public event in an auditorium and they trot out the Welcome to Country, start booing … or slow hand clapping.”</p> <p>Newman, a white Australian, also mentioned that he believes many First Nations Australians share his views on the ceremony.</p> <p>“Of course it’s being rude, and so who is forcing this nonsense onto us?” he continued. </p> <p>“Who is telling us that we should be welcomed to (the) country that we live in, that we try and cohabitate, cohabit with all the people that have come here – particularly the Indigenous people."</p> <p>“There’s so many people who say it and I keep saying it’s just a push for reparations and financial power. It is, and I’m saying, the next time you go to a football game, a final, and they trot this nonsense out just start booing and that’ll stop (it)."</p> <p>Senator Lidia Thorpe was one of many people who lashed out at Newman's comments, as she spoke to Karl Stefanovic on <em>Today</em> to explain the purpose of the Welcome to Country. </p> <div id="story-primary" data-area="story-primary"> <p>“We all are on stolen land, there has never been a treaty, and a Welcome to Country is a way to bring people along on an understanding of the country that you are all living on,” the independent Senator said.</p> <p>“It’s about peace and the whole message behind a Welcome to Country is about respect and bringing people together. And I think Sam Newman is — you know, he is not a respectful man at the best of times so he needs to educate himself and not be so racist all the time.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> </div>

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Sam Newman hits back at Chrissie Swan

<p>Sam Newman, the former AFL player and well-known media personality, has not minced words in his response to being <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/music/absolutely-the-worst-chrissie-swan-fires-up-on-sam-newman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">labelled the "worst" interviewee</a> by radio host Chrissie Swan.</p> <p>During a recent episode of The Chrissie Swan Show on Nova radio, Swan candidly shared her most challenging celebrity interviews, recounting a particularly unpleasant experience with Sam Newman. Swan's producer, Jack Charles, recalled that Swan was so disheartened during their interview with Newman that she abruptly left the studio, rendering the audio unsuitable for broadcast.</p> <p>Describing her encounter with Newman as the "absolute worst" of her career, Swan stated, “It was absolutely the worst by far. By far. It was terrible. It was a terrible, terrible situation and so unusual in my career to feel so attacked. It was terrible. Terrible.”</p> <p>Newman did not hold back when asked about Swan's remarks in a subsequent <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/radio/sam-newman-unleashes-on-chrissie-swan-over-worst-interview-jibe/news-story/ef5479620b7e813a587b4e517f925bd4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au interview</a>, condemning her actions as "unprofessional".</p> <p>He questioned Swan's decision to invite him to the studio only to walk out when the conversation took an unfavourable turn. Newman also speculated that the interview never saw the light of day on Nova because they sought to avoid embarrassing Swan. He insisted that he never verbally abused her but rather that she was out to get him.</p> <p>“What a coward to ask someone to come in, then walk out of the studio about an opinion over a topic we were talking about,” he told news.com.au. “I just gave my opinion and she walked out, how unprofessional. What a coward.”</p> <p>“I was asked to come in. If you’re going to invite a guest in to help make your show a success, have the courtesy and the class not to have a predisposition to whom you’re speaking to in the first place.</p> <p>“She said she felt attacked – so she should have, for her preposterous position on topical affairs that we spoke about … and she demonstrated how irrelevant and insignificant she is.”</p> <p>In a final flourish, Newman described Swan, who boasts a career in media spanning two decades, as an "untalented person clinging to any vestige of fame".</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

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"Absolutely the worst": Chrissie Swan fires up on Sam Newman

<p>Chrissie Swan has opened up on the most challenging celebrity she had to deal with during her career. </p> <p>The radio personality revealed that her interview with former AFL footballer Sam Newman was one of the worst encounters she had on the local front. </p> <p>“He was hands down the worst experience I’ve had in the media,” she said on her program <em>The Chrissie Swan Show</em>, on Monday afternoon. </p> <p>Anchor Jack Charles recalled that the interview was so bad that Swan had to walk out of their Melbourne studio. </p> <p>“I remember you walking out of the studio, out of the station, and I was like where’s Swanny gone?” he said and added that “We couldn’t even air the audio.”</p> <p>Swan replied that it was the most "terrible" experience she has had in her entire career. </p> <p>“It was absolutely the worst by far. By far. It was terrible. It was a terrible, terrible situation and so unusual in my career to feel so attacked. It was terrible. Terrible.”</p> <p>Before revealing that her interview with Newman was the worst experience she ever had, Swan also shared her disappointment after meeting her idols British rock band <em>Duran Duran </em>a few years ago. </p> <p>She said that it "was an excruciating interview. And two of the members were really rude to me. I just left there feeling like nothing.”</p> <p>To which Charles responded with the old adage,  “Never meet your idols." </p> <p>Swan agreed, but also added that it wasn't always the case. </p> <p>“It is true, isn’t it? Well, it can be true, because I have met other idols like Lily Tomlin and Gina Davis and Debbie Harry and Sarah Jessica Parker. And they were all wonderful, but Duran Duran, they really belittled me and I just felt like a big loser.”" </p> <p>The 49-year-old radio personality, added that the British rock band knew that she was a massive fan, which made the interaction  “even more unkind." </p> <p>Despite sharing how horrible some of these celebrity interviews made her feel, Swan also offered a sympathetic ear. </p> <p>“You know, harking back to what I said earlier, people are going through things and you just don’t know what." </p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

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Sam Newman lashes out at “woke” athletes “with low IQs”

<p dir="ltr">Former AFL player Sam Newman has weighed in on a string of recent conflicts in the sporting world over million-dollar sponsorship deals, calling out “woke” athletes “with low IQs”.</p> <p dir="ltr">He claimed the world was “being run by patronising and pompous, arrogant people”, creating a “ridiculous, woke society of nonsense”.</p> <p dir="ltr">His comments come after the news emerged of controversies involving Netball Australia and the Fremantle Dockers.</p> <p dir="ltr">Netball Australia, which is in desperate need of funding, is in dispute with some of its star players around a $15 million sponsorship deal with Hancock Prospecting, which is owned by mining magnate Gina Rinehart.</p> <p dir="ltr">The deal would also see the company’s logo featured on the uniforms of Diamonds players, but opposition came from Indigenous player Donell Wallam and her teammates in relation to the company’s historical stance against Indigenous communities.</p> <p dir="ltr">Rinehart’s father, Lang Hancock, made a series of racist comments about Indigenous people in a 1984 documentary, Couldn’t Be Fairer, including his solution to the “Aboriginal problem”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I would dope the water up so that they were sterile and would breed themselves out in future and that would solve the problem,” Hancock said in the film.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the AFL world, major Fremantle Dockers supporter Woodside Energy, a natural gas exporter, has left some high-profile fans concerned.</p> <p dir="ltr">Author Tim Winton and former WA premier Carmen Lawrence are among a group of fans urging the football club to end the agreement with the gas company.</p> <p dir="ltr">These controversies have become fodder for Newman, who shared his opinions on both with <em>Sky News</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 76-year-old said he wouldn’t wear a certain sports jersey if he didn’t agree with what was on the front of it, but that “the price of being virtuous is hypocrisy” and that it’s unrealistic to expect sports could continue without money from the mining or energy sector.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If you think fossil fuels are going to disappear in the very near future then you’re mistaken because that’s the end of the civilised world as we know it no matter what you think of climate and no matter what you think of global warming,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I notice one of the netballers said they weren’t happy with Hancock because of their climate record, I mean seriously the world we live in is being run by patronising and pompous, arrogant people who have no idea really what they’re on about.”</p> <p dir="ltr">He then dubbed the netballers as hypocrites.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We have people with low IQs telling a sporting body which is on its knees financially that they won’t accept money from sponsorship deals from a company which I’m sure that those people who are complaining use one of those products indirectly or directly that Hancock Mining or Hancock industries have fabricated on a daily basis,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">When <em>Sky News</em> host Chris Kenny suggested that sports stars should just not play if they don’t agree with who sponsors their game, Newman disagreed, saying that those running teams or codes have a “duty of care” to inform players before they sign up.</p> <p dir="ltr">“[They have] a duty of care [to] say to the rank and file before they sign them up, "We're going to have Alinta Energy or Hancock mining sponsor us, have you got any problems with it?’” Newman said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And if they have you could actually sort it out before they did the deal.”</p> <p dir="ltr">As for the Fremantle Dockers, Newman took the opportunity to slam the sport in general.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If I could just go a step further (about) the feigned indignation of the AFL who insist on telling us to be the moral arbiters of what we believe in,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I've said this before. At the AFL grand final we had three references to Indigenous Australians. </p> <p dir="ltr">“One of them is absolutely appropriate and no one could agree with it more.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But they had three separate references... lest we have to be told that we (have to) respect everything that's going on in the country.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They made a Muslim woman (Haneen Zreika of the Giants) the face of the AFLW, and then... she declined (to) wear the gay pride jumper.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If you get into the political realm in a sporting organisation, you end up creating a hornet's nest for the people who want nothing more than to go to the football or the sporting event just to watch it for what it is.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But they keep forcing this moral code onto us, to perhaps appease their own social prejudices and it turns into a ridiculous, woke society of nonsense.”</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-034e29be-7fff-5589-bfc8-96e96f37cce9"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Sky News (Facebook)</em></p>

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Western Sydney Health rebukes Nicki Minaj with hilarious post

<p>Western Sydney Health came up with a great retort to US rapper Nicki Minaj when she tweeted she knew someone who “became impotent” after getting a COVID jab and her tweet went viral.</p> <p>So Western Sydney Health stepped in, tweeting: ‘We promise to leave the rapping to @NICKIMINAJ if she leaves medicine to doctors and scientists.’</p> <p>They then listed the ‘Common side effects after a COVID-19 vaccine’ and then ‘Things that <u>don’t</u> happen after a COVID-19 vaccine.’</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">We promise to leave the rapping to <a href="https://twitter.com/NICKIMINAJ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NICKIMINAJ</a> if she leaves medicine to doctors and scientists <a href="https://t.co/pqv00rNi0l">pic.twitter.com/pqv00rNi0l</a></p> — Western Sydney Health (@WestSydHealth) <a href="https://twitter.com/WestSydHealth/status/1437608277907369987?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2021</a></blockquote> <p>Nicki Minaj tweeted on Tuesday about her cousin who had a friend who “became impotent” after receiving the COVID vaccine.</p> <p>“My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz (sic) his friend got it and became impotent,” she said.</p> <p>“His testicles became swollen. His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding.</p> <p>“So just pray on it and make sure you’re comfortable with ur (sic) decision, not bullied,” Minaj finished.</p> <p><strong>Anti-vaxxers latched onto the tweet</strong></p> <p>Minaj’s tweet went viral with at least 108,000 retweets at the time of publication. Anti-vaxxers quickly latched onto the tweet and this caught the attention of the Western Sydney Local Health District.</p> <p>So Western Sydney Local Health issued their witty reply, clarifying the common side effects of the vaccine are, including pain or swelling at the injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, fever and chills and joint pain.</p> <p>Minaj has since tweeted that she will get vaccinated herself, as it would likely be a requirement to “go on tour”.</p> <p>New South Wales is on Wednesday expected to reach the 80 per cent first dose vaccine benchmark.</p> <p>On Tuesday, 79.5 per cent of the eligible population had received their first dose.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em> </em></p> <p><em> </em></p> <p><em> </em></p>

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Sam Newman casually predicted wife's death

<p>Geelong Cats legend Sam Newman has revealed how he predicted his wife's death on his podcast<span> </span><em>You Cannot Be Serious</em>.</p> <p>He was delivering a heartfelt tribute when he made the casual comment about how he knew something was wrong when he was unable to reach his wife, Amanda, 50.</p> <p>Newman, 75, told listeners that he was concerned after being unable to reach his wife.</p> <p>“I’d been working on a boat, which Amanda hated incidentally, and I was working with someone on it 300m from where she was… and we’re going down to get fish and chips to eat for dinner, and I thought Amanda might want to come with us,” he said on his podcast.</p> <p>“We get down to where we’re going… and I tried to ring her to ask if she wanted to come down. We’d rung her, I’d rung her six times.</p> <p>“So we got down there, we’re sitting around eating the fish and chips and I said, ‘I wonder where Amanda is’ and we all… I don’t know if I should say this.”</p> <p>He paused before continuing.</p> <p>“We’re joking about, ‘She might be out at a venue or out at the pub or out with the girls or out doing something’ and I said, ‘She’s probably lying dead up in the flat’, just as an aside,” Newman said.</p> <p>“And I said, ‘Oh, she could have been in an accident’.</p> <p>“I get home and I walk in the door and the television’s on in the bedroom.</p> <p>“So I look down there and lying in her underwear — she’d obviously been in bed or she got out of bed to get something to eat.</p> <p>“She’s lying there on the tiles outside the laundry and as soon as I saw her I knew she was dead, I just knew it.”</p> <p>Newman's heartbreaking experience wasn't over as he was asked to perform CPR on his wife for 20 minutes until emergency services arrived.</p> <p>“So I rang triple-zero and the very helpful person on the end said you better try and give CPR and she talked me through that and I had the phone on speakerphone and I’m pumping this poor woman who’s lying there looking so peaceful (but) obviously to me, dead,” Newman said.</p> <p>“But the operator said just keep doing it in case there’s a spark of life in her. So I did that for 20 minutes, giving CPR to what I knew was a corpse.</p> <p>“Then everyone arrived and when it all ended it was futile trying to get into bed after that so I thought what else do you do. So I lay down for half an hour then I got up and I wrote this, and I’m going to read it out.”</p> <p>Newman teared up while reading the letter.</p> <p>“It’s been 24 hours since I arrived home and found dear Amanda lying on her side on the tiles beside the laundry. She looked so gentle and calm and innocent but somehow I knew instantly she was dead,” he said.</p> <p>“So why am I writing this? Maybe it’s cathartic or maybe I want to share what a relationship means to me because at 75 years of age it has taken three-quarters of a century to discover the formula.</p> <p>“I’ve married and loved a number of women, and for extended periods of time have enjoyed a harmonious existence with them all but sadly not an everlasting one, obviously.</p> <p>“The reason they did not endure are complex yet so simple. Relentlessness, tension, ego, simmering angst and above all stubbornness to yield.</p> <p>“In her 20s, Amanda’s mission in life was for me to be her man. She told the person she lived with, a boy, as much.</p> <p>“I kept noticing her the same places I was at and enjoyed her company, I thought it was just a coincidence but it wasn’t - she wanted me.</p> <p>“I knew exactly where she came from and what she did and while my friends were somewhat bemused, my friends are real friends, unconditional.</p> <p>“For the last 15 years, we lived together and had not one verbal or physical confrontation. Some strong words occasionally for sure but she had the knack of not prolonging such rifts due to her innate nature of compromise.</p> <p>“I have never been happier in the last decade and arriving home at the end of a day was such a genuinely pleasant thing I looked forward to as there was never any harbouring angst pent up in either of us.”</p> <p><em>Photo credits:<span> </span></em><a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/sam-newman-recalls-freakish-prediction-just-moments-before-finding-wife-dead-c-2769660" target="_blank"><em>7NEWS</em></a></p>

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Sam Newman's wife dies unexpectedly at age 50

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The sudden death of AFL legend Sam Newman’s wife Amanda Brown, who died in the couple’s Melbourne home, has left many in shock, including Eddie McGuire.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Herald Sun</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> revealed the Geelong legend and former </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Footy Show </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">host found his wife lying on the floor of their apartment in Docklands on Saturday night.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to the paper, an Ambulance Victoria spokesperson said emergency services responded to calls of a cardiac arrest at approximately 7.40pm, but were unable to revive Ms Brown. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m just devastated, I can’t say anything else,” Newman told the </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Herald Sun</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Victoria Police confirmed the death was not being treated as suspicious.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a statement to news.com.au, a police spokesperson said, “Police will prepare a report for the Coroner following the death of a 50-year-old woman in Docklands on Saturday.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The matter is not being treated as suspicious.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 75-year-old football legend is a member of the Geelong Hall of Fame and has had an extensive career in media as a broadcast commentator and one of the faces of the AFL </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Footy Show</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> from 1994 until 2018.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though Newman and Ms Brown married in November, they had been together for 20 years.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Australians have reacted to Ms Brown’s passing with shock and support for Newman.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Newman’s former colleague Eddie McGuire told Fox Footy on Sunday that Newman had found his wife after he came home from drinks with friends.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Her death also comes as Geelong mourns Frank Costa, 83. The former club president died in his sleep on Sunday morning after a long battle with illness.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s been a heartbreaking day, particularly for the Geelong Football Club, but for the entire football community as a whole,” McGuire said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“(Newman) came home from going out with a couple of friends yesterday and found his wonderful wife Amanda dead on the floor of his apartment. Sam, we know that you know we’re thinking of you, buddy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I spoke to him last night and (he’s) clearly devastated by the whole situation.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Don Scott, AFL great and co-host of the podcast </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">You Cannot Be Serious</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> told the </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Herald Sun</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">: “They’ve been together for 19 years and he depended on her a fair bit.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He had a lot of feeling for her. What do you say? All you can do is be there.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Veteran reporter Mike Sheahan said he was “really sad” for Newman.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He was happy and that’s not always something you’d associate with Sam,” Sheahan said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s just terrible to find her gone at 50. Sometimes it’s hard to comprehend that stuff.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The couple were married inside their luxury Docklands apartment last year with close friends and family attending. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It was the fourth time Newman had tied the knot and the ceremony took place just after Brown’s 50th birthday.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though Newman often faced backlash for comments on social media or his podcast, the couple were private and Brown stayed out of the public spotlight.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Newman has three sons - Max, Jack, and Jordan.</span></p>

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"Absolute disgrace": Sam Newman fumes at Eddie McGuire's exit

<p>Controversial media personality Sam Newman has claimed the way Eddie McGuire has been treated is an "absolute disgrace" after the Collingwood president handed in his resignation on Tuesday afternoon.</p> <p>McGuire faced copious amounts of criticism after his response to a damning report that accused Collingwood of fostering "systemic racism", which ultimately forced him to step down immediately rather than at the end of the season as planned.</p> <p>The 56-year-old was on the verge of tears as he fronted a press conference to announce his resignation.</p> <p>“I tried my best and I don’t always get it right, but I don’t stop trying,” McGuire said. “Today, effective immediately, I step down from the presidency of the Collingwood Football Club.</p> <p>“From the moment I became the president of the Collingwood Football Club on my 34th birthday back in 1998, my sole motivation was to heal, unite, inspire and drive a new social conscience, not just into this club, but sport and the community in general and build an organisation that would be a place for opportunity for all people.”</p> <p>Newman was a longtime panellist on The AFL Footy Show alongside McGuire and the former Geelong ruckman delivered a scathing response to his comrade’s departure.</p> <p>“It is an absolute disgrace what is happening to Eddie McGuire,” Newman told FIVEaa Adelaide on Tuesday.</p> <p>“Eddie McGuire is a great person, a great member of our community here in Melbourne, and in fact, he’s a great Australian.</p> <p>“He might have erred like everyone might have erred, but he’s tried his heart out to rectify what has gone on at that club.</p> <p>“It is completely unfair what they’re doing to him, and they should be ashamed of themselves.</p> <p>“Why would you single him out? He has tried his hardest. He has set up Indigenous foundations at that club.</p> <p>“This has nothing to do with racism … he is being condemned absolutely unfairly by all and sundry, because they think it’s a great, politically-correct, point-scoring opportunity.</p> <p>“They’re invested in chaos and division.”</p> <p>McGuire and veteran AFL reporter Caroline Wilson have endured a love-hate relationship over the years, but the journalist believed the Collingwood boss "hubris" contributed to his downfall.</p> <p>“There were so many things over the past week or so that just went from bad to worse for him,”<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.3aw.com.au/caroline-wilson-responds-to-eddie-mcguires-shock-departure/" target="_blank">Wilson told 3AW on Tuesday</a>.</p> <p>“Even today, unfortunately, there were just a few signs of the hubris that brought him down in the end.</p> <p>“Everything we say is underlined by the fact we know that he did so much good and that the club, in many ways, is in such a better position ... than when Eddie found it.</p> <p>“He came to Collingwood so determined to unite all the factions and you couldn’t say, last week, that’s what he’d done.</p> <p>“You’d have to say last week they were a club savagely divided.</p> <p>“I think that it’s sad that it’s ended like this for him.</p> <p>“From people I’ve been talking to today, the one thing they were all united on, in the end, was that he had to go and they couldn’t possibly get past this until he did go.”</p>

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Nick Kyrgios wipes girlfriend from social media

<p><span>It seems Nick Kyrgios is no longer with his girlfriend after he deleted all but one image of them together.</span><br /><br /><span>Chiara Passari posted her own message which seems to be an indicator on the situation between the two.</span><br /><br /><span>“Cheaters always want you to be loyal while they’re being unfaithful,” the post read.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.70894526034715px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839772/nick-kyrgios-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/80c3120677574653a77680daec686c27" /><br /><br /><span>Passari added the caption “It keeps getting better y’all”, with several upside down smiling emojis.</span><br /><br /><span>Kyrgios first posted a photo with Passari back in July and in August made a very public display of love for the 24-year-old.</span><br /><br /><span>“Imagine having a best friend, falling in love with them and going through the fire together … hand in hand,” Kyrgios captioned a photo of the pair.</span><br /><br /><span>“Imagine that. My universe. My Soulmate. Till infinity.”</span><br /><br /><span>In November Kyrgios wrote “I don’t take these days for granted”.</span><br /><br /><span>His last public post about Passari came on New Year’s Day.</span><br /><br /><span>“There will always be struggle, you just have to choose who you struggle with. 2021 you know that my energy will always be the same, authentic and free,” he said.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CJDSAZKg6cz/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CJDSAZKg6cz/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Nick Kyrgios (@k1ngkyrg1os)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span>Before Passari, Kyrgios was dating Russian tennis player Anna Kalinskaya.</span><br /><br /><span>However in May last year, the pair clarified they were no longer in a relationship.</span><br /><br /><span>“We just went our separate ways,” Kyrgios told fans during a video game live stream.</span><br /><br /><span>“Unfortunately things didn’t work out. We had some fun memories.”</span><br /><br /><span>Kalinskaya later clarified Kyrgios was a “good person” and “did nothing” to her.</span><br /><br /><span>“We broke up. We aren’t friends,” she wrote.</span><br /><br /><span>“I understand you are his friends and it’s cool but I’m not going to talk about him. Have some respect for me as well please.”</span></p>

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Dylan Alcott's perfect backhand at Sam Newman

<p>Australian Paralympians Dylan Alcott and Jodi Willis-Roberts have shot back at media figure Sam Newman after he called US President-elect Joe Biden “retarded”.</p> <p>Newman was sacked from his media gig earlier this year over comments he made about George Floyd.</p> <p>Now he has been swiftly called out for his words he wrote on Twitter on Sunday after Biden was declared the winner of the US election.</p> <p>“Great day for inclusion and diversity,” Newman wrote.</p> <p>“Shows someone who is mentally retarded and has special needs, can attain high office. Congratulations, Joe Biden.”</p> <p>The comments were blasted by hundreds of people, with many calling his words “vile” and others calling on Twitter to permanently remove his account.</p> <p>Newman sarcastically thanked his audience in his response and refused to apologise for his slur against disabled people.</p> <p>“Thank you for the outpouring of advice, and your interest in what I do/say. Very much appreciated,” Newman wrote.</p> <p>“There is a reason I deleted the tweet about Joey Biden - but probably not the one you think.”</p> <p>Jodi Willis-Roberts, a visually impaired Australian Paralympic athlete, took aim at the former TV star on Twitter.</p> <p>She told him to take caution before he tweeted next time.</p> <p>However, wheelchair tennis champion Dylan Alcott did not go so easy on him and labelled the 74-year-old as the “lowest of the low”.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Also, to the people forwarding me the Sam Newman tweet, please don’t. He is the lowest of the low. His disgusting hate speech doesn’t deserve my or anyone else’s time</p> — Dylan Alcott (@DylanAlcott) <a href="https://twitter.com/DylanAlcott/status/1325374977500012544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>“Also, to the people forwarding me the Sam Newman tweet, please don’t,” Alcott wrote.</p> <p>“He is the lowest of the low. His disgusting hate speech doesn’t deserve my or anyone else’s time.”</p>

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