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

So, is it a fact that he will only be remembered as a drug taking cheat?

I would say that this is a very subjective point of view. I, for instance, will always recognise that he did this at the end of his career, but I will actually remember him as a great player. I bet the majority of people will do the same.

It’s not a matter of mawkishness, if you show a little respect for the man in such circumstances, particularly when you consider that his family were probably watching.

Comparing Terry Newton with Hitler? Why don't you do us all a favour and refrain from posting in any threads about Newton.

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

Oh climb down off your high horse will you
it's not that anybody who dies has to be worshipped etc. it's the way eddie said it, the timing etc. less than 24 hours, stuff his family will hear, it's not called worship it's called respect.
It's called empathy.
Pretentious post of the year.

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.

Well it goes to show how people take things differently because I thought that was said with a great deal of sadness in his voice. I took him to mean that it's such a shame that he will be remembered by people as a cheat and being banned from the game at the time of his death for using HGH as opposed to purely being remembered as a player of such high calibre. He was right too, all the reports of his death have been "drug cheat rugby league star Newton " or "banned RL player Terry Newton" as opposed to "Rugby League star/legend/player Terry Newton" and that is a shame.

For someone who is part of the RLFANS admin team you are such an idiot!

Terry made a terrible mistake by taking HGH but I don't think alot of people realised that he was diagnosed with depression 2 years ago following the tragic death of his sister. And all you want to do is pretty much have a pop at a deadman? He made a mistake, he suffered the consequences, he has payed the ultimate price for this mistake which has stuck on his mind.

Everyone makes mistakes and terry would of been the first to admit that he made alot of mistakes but he shouldn't be remembered for that. He should be remembered for the 100 percent effort and commitment he gave every week and for being such a genuine man.

In my opinion when somebody so young dies Sport goes out of the window and human nature kicks in. Clearly not for somebody like you. Terry has left behind 2 beautiful daughters and his wife. It is them I feel for and for his children whoose daddy will now miss them growing up and blossoming into young women.

You really need to think before you post and should be ashamed of what you said.

RIP Terry, you will be remembered in my house for playing your heart out every time for wigan!

Absolutely disgraceful post. You should be ashamed.

How immature is that, 'they said it first' and you were the one getting all high and mighty about intellect.
No giving respect doesn't mean having to ignore facts, but it should mean not shouting off about certain things, surely you should be able to see that. The 'sentimental' as you've put it don't always allow their views to be clouded by the media, quite the opposite in a lot of cases. As i said, empathy, and tact.
Its very clear in this situation that it's not what eddie said (because yes thats true) but the timing, the people, and everything about the situation was wrong for him to coem out with something like that. Don't be so literal about things, you've come across as the type to be overly pedantic already, but it's not the place.

Oh dear – stating a fact is a disgrace now.



Kindly quote what I have posted that is factually inaccurate.

Please, be free. Try facts rather than an appeal to sentimentality.

I'll give you a clue. I have not posted a single, solitary word that has been disrespectful to Terry Newton or his family. The fact that there are a number of illiterates around here who cannot understand basics sentences is not my fault. I have always assumed you to be above that.



That's right – I keep forgetting that to not ignore the facts is disrespectful.

Hey – if Eddie said it, it's okay. But if someone here mentions 'it', then it's suddenly a heresy.

Hey folks, we have a new religion! Don't mention the truth about anything, whatever you do!

Disgraceful post, callous and cold.

Please point out the factual inaccuracies – and, indeed, where I have been 'cold'.

I have made it quite clear that this is a tragedy, so perhaps you'll have to look elsewhere.

You have not put any facts into the post

But you preach integrity well maybe start showing some and been a decent human being and mourning the death of a fellow human

[Get A Grip Mode On Can I just add my voice to those who demand that everyone respond in the same way to this event. It's clear to me that anyone who expresses any thoughts different to mine is an evil person, who should be roundly abused, and possibly killed, if we can find out where they live. Then, when the heretic is dead, we can start a thread on how unimpeachable their life was, now they're dead, and consequently persecute ourselves if we dare to repeat our own earlier opinions. I think I've got that about right. [/Get A Grip Mode Off



Terry Newton was a good player who, like all of us, had his demons. I didn't like the way he played the game, and I didn't like some of his actions off the pitch. I think it's very sad that with so much time ahead of him to live a good life, he reached a point where this seemed the only way for him. I pity the man, and his family. Rugby League and other sports have been the saving of many a troubled soul, but sadly not for Newton.

That's how I saw it too.