On Sunday 26 September 2010, ex GB, Wigan, Leeds and Bradford hooker Terry 'Tez' Newton tragically took his own life. Later the same day, in a discussion on Sky Sports and in the presence of 2 of Terry's best friends, Brian Carney and Terry O'Connor, Sky ...Rugby League presenter Eddie Hemmings said to them "Terry will be remembered as the player who was banned for taking Human Growth Hormone. He will be remembered as a cheat"! This was a disgraceful thing to say on National Television less than 24 hours after his death, indeed to say at all. Terry Newton will be remembered by his many fans as a great Rugby League player who played with passion and never gave gave less than 100% for any team he played in. We feel that Eddie Hemmings has crossed the line with his callous insensitive comments and should be removed from his position forthwith. Failing that, he should have the good grace to apologise to Terry's many fans, friends and in particular his family who have yet to come to terms with their tragic loss. Tez, you will be fondly remembered for the player and the man you were. RIP
The above appeared in outdoor sports earlier on today.

I agree he could have left that out and not commented on his reputation but I suppose if you play devils advocate, if you'd have put up a thread on here a week ago as to what people think when you hear the name Terry Newton, imagine what comments people would have said.

You know what Eddie is like, always tries to be a bit controversial and often brings up the other side of the coin, but on this occasion, he should have left it alone.

Eddie is an idiot. He is really really poor at what he does.

Its true though, most people if they were asked to comment on the name would say the same thing.
He probably shouldnt have said it, or not worded it so but the reality is that's the first thing that comes to peoples mind.

I’m not normally an Eddie Hemmings basher, but he was a complete idiot on Sunday. The crap he was coming out with was an embarrassment. He actually had me cringing when he said to Brian Carney and Barrie McDermott that Terry Newton’s timing was all wrong, because it was the Champioship Grand Final day and his former club (Wigan) will be contesting the Super League Grand Final next week.

How on earth does that make sense?

Even Brian Carney and Barrie Mac looked disgusted with him, and had to put the situation in context for him. What a plonker!

Have to agree with you there Pepe. I mean, when is the timing right to take your own life?? In those situations less is more and Eddie failed to spot that. Its not a sacking offence thats for sure, but Sky need to be thinking of the future of their SL coverage. Maybe one team on a friday, one on a sat.

Oh yes – the truth is a 'disgrace'. How very dare they mention it! Bad, bad people! Their fault – not Terry Newton's for taking banned substances, oh no.

And quit with the royal "we".

FFS.

Is there really any chance that we might grow out of this sentimental bølløcks, whereby one is villified for stating a factoid? And whereby the only form of discussion has to be unmitigated praise? Let's take it to its logical extreme: 'Oh, that Adolf ... he was so nice with my dogs; he'd spend hours with them, patiently. I don't believe a bad thing that's been said about him'.

Have we really been so warped by the Diana culture of anyone who dies having to be worshipped, that honesty and integrity and analysis and intellect have been completely put on the back burner and are villified? Heavemn help us if that's the case.

Could we actually have an indicator here that someone – anyone!!!! – is grown up beyond having a pre-pubescent 'intellect'?

Don't think that there was any mention of a person being worshipped was there? like all things there is a time and a place and there is an expectation that people in the national media (Mr Hemmings who has been around long enough ) should have the tact and guile to be able to deliver news like that and not make a complete B**Ls of it.

I accept that none of us are perfect and you can't defend all his faults we all come with our faults, even you though you may not think so

There was no need to keep going on about it the way he did, it was cringeworthy telly at its worst.

She wasn't.

HTH

I didn't see it but it does seem insensitive at best. Yes, Terry made his mistakes but haven't we all? It would be nice for people to think of Newton's good qualities too, and even to look at the circumstances that drove him to try hGH (not to condone the behaviour as it's clearly wrong, but rather to try and understand why he made what he considered to be the biggest mistake of his life).

And forget all of that for a minute and just remember that Terry was a human being who leaves behind a family and was clearly in a dark frame of mind.

Eddie and co mentioned it way before I did – so I assume you'll be complaining to them too. Kindly let us know their response. It'll be fascinating.

And at no point in history has "respect" meant ignoring facts. And it doesn't now – except to the terminally dumb.; the sentimental, who allow their opinions to be controlled by tabloids and tabloid TV.



No. And you're bright enough to know perfectly well that that was not what I said.

The point is not to avoid elements of history.

I have never suggested – and nor would I – that only Terry Newton made mistakes.

Terry Newton, on his day, was a brilliant player. Simple as. Or not. Because he was also other things.

What has happened is shocking and tragic. But let's not try to pretend that part of his career didn't happen.

What I have seen here in the last 24 hours is an attempt to pretend that some of what happened around Terry Newton didn't really happen. A brilliant player – but also a thug on the pitch on occasions (what he did sometimes would have seen him jailed if he'd done it in, say, a club) and someone who used banned substances.

It doesn't make any difference whether it happened or not, in terms of making what happened this weekend a tragedy: for (as I have repeated, over and over) a still-young Terry Newton himself and all those he loved (I hate to think what his loved ones must be going through – and, indeed, what he was going through when he felt that that was the only alternative open to him). This is, quite simply, utterly tragic. So one and all, bear that in mind: being truthful does not mean that one is trying to do down someone.

But please, can we grow beyond the tabloid bølløcks and see that the story of Terry Newton is a complex one, and to suggest other than sainthood is NOT disrespectful.