Sam Casey will no longer work at newly established sports radio station SENZ, in the wake of his controversial opinion piece in Rugby News last week.
Casey confirmed to Stuff on Tuesday that he had received a letter of termination from SENZ following the opinion piece that attracted widespread criticism, with its views on the place of women in New Zealand rugby.
The 25-year-old said the letter stated the “company’s view are different from my ones”. He’s been with the organisation three weeks and was set to produce the Drive Show.
”One strike, and you’re out is certainly an interesting way to go about things though,” he said.
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In a second departure, initial SENZ content manager, then on air weeknights and Saturday host Jason Pine confirmed to Stuff on Tuesday he had resigned.
“I simply can’t comment,” he said, asked if the Casey matter was one reason for his departure.
SENZ management confirmed in a statement to Stuff on Tuesday afternoon that it had “parted ways” with Casey on Saturday,
“The views expressed by Casey in a column prior to him joining SENZ are inconsistent with our values of equality, respect and inclusiveness among all sports, athletes, and officialdom,” the statement said.
Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
Female rugby players are getting paid “hush money”, Sam Casey said in a column that has been described as “sexist”
“While everyone is entitled to an opinion – and SENZ will be a platform where many no doubt disagree on key issues over time – the tone and language used in this instance were highly disrespectful to New Zealand’s female sports athletes, and our desire to stand with all New Zealand sports and its performers as an inclusive platform of respect.”
The statement wished Casey well and encouraged him to “learn more about the evolution of women’s sport around the world.”
SENZ also said it “accepted the resignation of night-time host Jason Pine”.
Casey said he did not regret writing the column, but it could have been expressed differently. He said the process was a “shambles” and it was written 20 minutes before deadline, while on the Interislander ferry.
It was written before he started with SENZ, and he knew it would “ruffle a few feathers”.
Casey’s opinion piece titled “Hands out, not up” stated women rugby players didn’t deserve financial investment. It was variously described as “90s style throwback” and “direct from the middle ages”.
Casey labelled New Zealand Rugby’s investment in women’s rugby as “hush money”. He referred to women’s players as “girls” and suggested boys’ and men’s competitions were cut during 2020 so a women’s competition could go ahead.
” I don’t regret the view point, but certainly the way I articulate myself, for sure,” he said.
”It’s a lot of other’s view point. It’s just an opinion piece. I would be lying to myself if I said I regret it. Some people have called it a mistake. The mistake was rushing through it … and without giving too much of a second thought.
”The point of the article was to ignite some debate.”
Casey said he had expressed the opinion “many, many times” in public with other employers and hadn’t been pulled up on it. He said the opinion was not sexist.
“Define sexist. I’m not belittling the women’s game in any way, shape or form. All I’m questioning is if the added investment is smart at this point of time. People have said far worse stuff than that about the game,” he said.
Other staff at the network were reluctant to talk, but Casey said he’s receiving a lot of support from others.
In his Rugby News column he had written of women rugby players: “It seems nothing is ever enough for them, always putting their hand out instead of their hand up”.
Staff at New Zealand Rugby head office lost their jobs during Covid because the female players “saw fit to jump up and down kicking and screaming until they got what they wanted”, he said.
“The All Blacks and the Super Rugby players of this country are well and truly fed up” he said, and suggested women were to blame for male players going offshore in search of more money.
“My advice to the NZR is that it needs to stop being held to ransom. Enough of the hush money. If it starts to become all too much, get yaself (sic) a set of earplugs,” he wrote.
Although women’s sport is growing rapidly in the likes of the United States, particularly with the growth of women’s football, Casey told Stuff comparing New Zealand to the US is like comparing “apples and oranges”.
“New Zealand Rugby at this point… certainly the women’s game doesn’t justify to be put on that pedestal along the USA women’s soccer team,” he said.
“My viewpoint on where New Zealand Rugby is putting their investment, still stands, for sure.”
He told Stuff men’s rugby is a “necessity” and women’s rugby is a “luxury”.
Supplied
Alice Soper (second from left) is part of the Women in Rugby Aotearoa strategic advisory group, with Kate Rawnsley, Honey Hireme-Smiler, Sharleen Nathan and chair Traci Houpapa
Wellington rugby player and “vocal commentator” Alice Soper was targeted in the opinion piece, with Casey suggesting she and other female players were “detached from reality.”
Soper said Casey’s comments were “not uniquely his” and something she had encountered throughout her rugby career. She has received an apology from Rugby News, but hasn’t heard from Casey yet.
“None of this is new,” she said.
“In sharing [Casey’s column] I was calling it out for what it was… a really bad opinion.
“Did I want him to lose his job? That was not my intention. What I did want him to know was that behaviour was unacceptable.”
She said the opinion was an “old, tired argument” pretending to be about economics, but it’s “really misogyny”, and “misinformation”.
“There … has been a business case for women’s rugby for a long time,” she said.
“…it’s useful for him to write it so plainly sexist for people to read because this is the thing that women in sport are beaten with all the time.
“People try to hide behind economics. What is economics? It’s the study of the way that people behave in relation to money.
“This is all about behaviour here, let’s not pretend it’s about cash.”
On Monday Rugby News tweeted saying the opinion piece “shouldn’t” have been printed.
“In the July issue of Rugby News is an opinion piece by Sam Casey on issues surrounding the women’s game.
“Rugby News ran the column in the interests of free speech, but the tone and language would have benefited from further changes to reduce the harm it has caused,” the first of three tweets said.
It said Rugby News was a “great supporter” of the women’s game, and issued an apology directly to Soper.
“We apologise for any unforeseen hurt felt by our audience, in particular, to Alice Soper. In hindsight, we shouldn’t have printed it. We will continue to actively look to promote female voices, in order to provide a balanced view of rugby in its entirety.”
SENZ, due to go to air on Monday, July 19, touts itself as “New Zealand’s new home of sport and racing”.
The presenting line up includes Brendon McCullum, Israel Dagg, Ian Smith, Mark Stafford, Rikki Swannell, Kirstie Stanway and Stephen Donald.
SENZ has live audio rights for the NZ Warriors, Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand’s cricket tour of Australia, and will cover the upcoming Olympic Games.
Sports Entertainment Network chief executive Craig Hutchison said at the SENZ launch at Eden Park two weeks ago that the brand would “enrich the lives of sports fans each day”.
“SENZ is Kiwi for sport – and will be a welcome place for all sports fans to engage their passions,” he said.
