Former Australian Football League (AFL) star John "Sam" Newman and now controversial media personality had revealed that he is facing severe death threats and highly offensive messages in the wake of his expression of his thoughts that George Floyd was a "piece of s**t" last week.
According to 7News, the Nine network let Newman go after the former player launched a podcast and targeted Floyd with atrocious remarks.
Floyd is a criminal
The 74-year-old former player referenced the 46-year-old African-American's criminal history and stated his objections to the apparent love and support people have shown for him after his death.
Newman, in his podcast, called Floyd a "piece of s**t" and noted how the black man was arrested and placed in prison five times in the past, that he once held a knife to a pregnant black woman, and that he was once a drug addict.
Speaking on Wednesday, the show's co-host, Mike Sheahan, asked Newman if the sole reason he had made the remarks was that he wanted the public's attention.
However, Newman scoffed at the question and announced that he had received several threats to his life and multiple vile messages regarding his grandchildren after making the comments regarding Floyd.
The podcaster noted that at his stage in life, and after being on television for 30 years, that attention to death threats, hopes of his death, and statements about his grandchildren being raped by felons was the last thing he wanted.
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He added, "Do you think I want to put myself through that for the sake of saying a very accurate statement about a man who shouldn't have been killed but is a very ordinary person?"
In his comments, he also stated that as Floyd died in the hands of police brutality, and after the world found out about his circumstance, they made a monument of him, and he believes the black man was a "piece of s**t."
Newman also noted that he says controversial topics and comments to make the podcast a success.
Death threats and vile remarks
After criticisms of his statements spread, Newman has reaffirmed his opinion of the African-American and refused to back down, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
On the case with Newman's separation with long-term employer Nine network, he said that it was a mutual agreement as management discussed with him about the repercussions the network had been receiving following the host's comments.
They ultimately decided to go their separate ways with no ill feelings to help the network avoid any further criticisms.
Newman also shared his thoughts on how AFL players did not know what they were kneeling for before Floyd's death. He added that they had been blinded by the horrific event where Floyd was suffocated by a police officer who knelt on his neck.
The former AFL player said that initial protests were about police brutality but then transformed into something about racism and Aboriginals. He added people should know the reason why they were kneeling during the games.
