Former Umpire Dean Margetts On The “Ripple Effect” Brownlow Scandal Will Have On The Umpiring Fraternity

Former umpire Dean Margetts explained on Xav & Michelle for Breakfast this morning the impact that the Brownlow scandal betting scandal will have on the umpiring fraternity from professional to grassroots level.

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“He will feel, like, on an island,” Margetts said of the umpire accused of passing on Brownlow voting information to other parties.

“He knows that it’s not just his own individual circumstances, but the ripple effect it’s gonna have, not just for the AFL footy umpires, but I’m talking state level, country, juniors, it’s gonna have a ripple effect right through.

“Umpiring is always probably always [seen] in a negative light, because, y’know, that’s just the nature of our business.

“So we don’t need much of a leg up to get some criticism, so that’s what hurts the most.

“We worked really hard with the stop the abuse campaign we’ve had done by the footy commission this year, and this just gives everyone else another free whack and that’s what disappoints me the most.”

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Four men from Melbourne including an AFL field umpire were arrested yesterday after suspicious betting patterns on the Brownlow Medal were flagged with the AFL.

The men were arrested over the alleged release of voting tallies from matches this year.

“It’s alleged that a person with knowledge of the voting tally of these matches distributed the information to a group of people known to them,” a police spokesperson said.

Despite the allegations, Margetts maintains the responsibility for recording Brownlow votes should be left with umpires.

“I still honestly believe the umpires are in the best position to make the award for the Brownlow,” he said to Lachy Reid, filling in for Xavier Ellis.

“That’s what makes it sacrosanct. It’s the umpire’s award, it’s not the Triple M player of the year, it’s not a sponsored award, it’s the umpire’s award and that’s what makes it special.”

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