Cricket Legend Glenn McGrath Is Sacked By The ABC Just Before The Ashes Begin
Cricket Legend Glenn McGrath Is Sacked By The ABC Just Before The Ashes Begin
By SHAYNE BUGDEN, SPORTS EDITOR, AUSTRALIA
Published:|Updated:
All-time-great cricketer Glenn McGrath has reportedly been dumped from his commentary job with the ABC due to his ties to a gambling company.
The former fast bowler’s relationship with online bookmaker Bet365 cost him his spot on the national broadcaster’s radio team covering the upcoming Ashes, according to News Corp.
McGrath is believed to be the latest victim of the ABC policy that states employees cannot have an association with a betting company.
The fast bowling great has an association with bet365 due to their support of the McGrath Foundation’s Pink Test in Sydney.
In 2022 his fellow former paceman Mitchell Johnson slammed the ABC after he was forced to quit his radio position when he was blindsided by the news he’d broken the anti-gambling policy.
The former fast bowler walked away when the ABC told him he could not have any ongoing dealings with commercial gambling companies while he was on their books.
Glenn McGrath (pictured this week) and the ABC have reportedly parted ways in controversial circumstances
The cricket great’s ties to a gambling company saw him fall foul of an ABC rule
McGrath (pictured holding the ball aloft during the 2005 Ashes) took 563 Test wickets in a glittering career that made him a cricket legend
The ABC’s policy is that employees are not allowed to have an association with a betting company
Johnson, who snared 313 Test wickets, was also employed by gambling agency Bet Nation.
He believed at the time that he was on the wrong side of the ABC’s ‘moral compass’.
‘I have really enjoyed working with the team over recent seasons and was looking forward to doing it again,’ Johnson told the ABC.
‘There seems to be a lot of hypocrisy that goes with this rule. I don’t understand and you start to wonder about what you can and can’t say if you are calling for them (the ABC).
‘It’s blown me away a little bit … do we have to make sure we have to align with the ABC’s moral compass? There’s nothing I can do about it … that’s the rule and I guess I’m not going to work with them.’
News Corp has reported that ABC managing director Hugh Marks got involved in deliberations but it was decided it was unfair to others if an allowance was made for the ex-cricket great.
McGrath will still feature on the BBC commentary team for the upcoming Ashes series.
Former St Kilda and Essendon player Brendon Goddard was also a victim of the policy.
McGrath (left) has been commentating for the ABC for a number of summers
He was forced off the AFL commentary team in 2022 because he was hosting a podcast sponsored by Sportsbet.
The ABC team will be fronted by Jim Maxwell and Corbin Middlemas along with ex-players Darren Lehmann, Stuart Clark, Jason Gillespie and ex-English spinner Phil Tufnell.
Daily Mail has contacted the ABC for comment.
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Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification. We do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.
Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification.
We do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.
Author: uaetodaynews
Published on: 2025-11-19 03:03:00
Source: uaetodaynews.com
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