Wayne Carey’s stint on Sam Newman’s podcast is over, with Newman revealing his co-host became uncomfortable tackling subjects that brought renewed attention to his past.
Addressing Carey’s continued absences from the You Cannot Be Serious podcast over recent months, Newman said the fallout from a discussion about convicted rapist Ralph Carr had brought the situation to a head.
Newman criticised ‘banshees and cuckolds’ over the coverage, claiming Carey’s efforts to move on were repeatedly undermined by reminders of his past.
Speaking alongside Melbourne Underground Film Festival director Richard Wolstencroft, Newman said the former North Melbourne captain remained a friend but admitted their podcast partnership had run its course.
‘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) revealed his podcast co-host Wayne Carey (left) became uncomfortable tackling subjects that brought renewed attention to his past
Newman identified the fallout from his comments about convicted rapist Ralph Carr (pictured) as the flashpoint for the pair
Newman said Carey (pictured) was trying to change his image after coverage of their discussion about Carr prompted renewed scrutiny of controversies from his past, including a 1997 indecent assault conviction
Newman said Carey, who joined the podcast as a permanent co-host in November 2024, initially agreed to acknowledge their respective controversies openly before tackling football and broader issues.
But Newman claimed Carey had become increasingly reluctant to contribute when discussions risked putting his own history under the microscope.
Coverage often revisited Carey’s 1997 indecent assault conviction after he pleaded guilty to grabbing a woman’s breast.
Another chapter was his departure from North Melbourne in 2002 following an affair with teammate Anthony Stevens’ wife, Kelli, which remains one of the most widely discussed incidents 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 attempts to discuss other people’s behaviour had led to renewed scrutiny.
‘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 the past of Carey (left)
Newman identified the backlash over his comments about sports and celebrity manager Ralph Carr’s rape conviction as the flashpoint.
Carr was found guilty by a Victorian County Court jury 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.
