Wayne Carey’s time on Sam Newman’s podcast has come to an end, with Newman saying his former co-host grew uneasy discussing topics that repeatedly brought his controversial past back into the spotlight.
Speaking about Carey’s ongoing absence from the You Cannot Be Serious podcast, Newman said the dispute reached a turning point after the pair discussed convicted rapist Ralph Carr.
Newman lashed out at what he called “banshees and cuckolds” over the media coverage, arguing that Carey’s attempts to rebuild his public image were continually overshadowed by references to his past.
Appearing with Melbourne Underground Film Festival director Richard Wolstencroft, Newman said the former North Melbourne captain was still a friend, but acknowledged their podcast partnership had effectively ended.
“Wayne Carey, the Duck, is a friend of mine and I hope always will be,” Newman said.
“But the Duck has become uncomfortable with some of the subjects that I bring up.”
Sam Newman (pictured) said podcast co-host Wayne Carey (left) had become uncomfortable discussing subjects that renewed attention on his past
Newman described the reaction to his comments about convicted rapist Ralph Carr (pictured) as the flashpoint between the pair
Newman said Carey (pictured) was attempting to reshape his image after coverage of their Carr discussion revived scrutiny of past controversies, including his 1997 indecent assault conviction
Newman said Carey, who became a permanent co-host in November 2024, had initially agreed that they would openly acknowledge their respective controversies before moving on to football and wider issues.
However, Newman claimed Carey gradually became less willing to participate when conversations threatened to place his own history under renewed scrutiny.
Media coverage frequently returned to Carey’s 1997 indecent assault conviction, after he pleaded guilty to grabbing a woman’s breast.
His departure from North Melbourne in 2002 after an affair with teammate Anthony Stevens’ wife, Kelli, also remains one of the most widely discussed episodes in Australian football.
“Wayne, to his great credit, is trying to change his image,” Newman said this week.
“He has a young family and it must be a hell of a bugbear to him.”
Newman said Carey’s efforts to comment on other people’s conduct had instead triggered further examination of his own behaviour.
“Every time he mentions something, they say, ‘Oh, yes. But don’t forget’. And then they bring up his past,” he said.
Newman (right) criticised what he described as “banshees and cuckolds” over coverage that revisited Carey’s (left) past
Newman pointed to the backlash over his remarks about sports and celebrity manager Ralph Carr’s rape conviction as the moment tensions came to a head.
A Victorian County Court jury found Carr guilty on July 28 of two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
In August, Newman questioned the evidence against Carr and suggested the victim might have had ‘buyer’s remorse’ on the podcast.
‘I’m just wondering what sort of evidence they had about him raping her,’ Newman said during the episode.
‘Other than the fact she might have buyer’s remorse.’
Carey said: ‘Sam, Sam, given that you’re in Sicily and you are only going off what you are reading, I’d probably suggest … you don’t have an opinion about it. Just like I don’t.’
Revisiting the controversy on the latest episode this week, Newman acknowledged Carr’s conviction but insisted he had been asking Carey about the circumstances of the case rather than defending Carr.
He has repeatedly insisted the phrase referred to the decision to consume cocaine and alcohol before the assault, not the rape itself.
Newman said Carey remained a friend despite the end of their podcast partnership
‘Buyer’s remorse meaning a bad decision,’ Newman said in his latest defence.
This week, fellow host and Melbourne Underground Film Festival (MUFF) director Richard ‘Dick’ Wolstencroft also argued that discussing controversial subjects was part of the program.
‘When you do a show like this… you have to be able to comment on everything,’ he said.
‘It doesn’t mean you have a dog in the fight or that you are defending somebody or not defending somebody.’
Newman criticised the coverage of Carey’s intervention, saying reports had used the exchange to revisit the former AFL star’s history.
He said other potential discussion topics, including the Sydney Swans’ Pullman Hotel scandal and Ben Cousins’ history, created similar difficulties for Carey.
‘He just opens a Pandora’s box and all the media pile onto him again and bring it all up, and he doesn’t want that,’ Newman said.
‘So I think it’s best that we don’t do this anymore with the Duck. He would probably be relieved about this.’
Newman indicated he would continue recording with Wolstencroft, while insisting he expected his fellow panellist to challenge him.
‘That doesn’t mean to say, Dick, I want you to just sit there and nod and agree with everything I say,’ he said.
He also suggested political discussions could be reduced or pushed towards the end of future episodes.
‘We’ll try and keep the politics or international politics either to a minimum or at the back end of this,’ Newman said.
The Daily Mail has contacted Carey for comment.
