Garry and Melissa Lyon with Nicky and Bill Brownless | Image | news.com.au
AFL icon Garry Lyon has cited mental health issues as he steps down from all media commitments, including co-hosting The Footy Show, amid reports he entered a relationship with friend Bill Brownless’s ex-wife – but any cynicism is unfounded, says one commentator.
Entertainment reporter Peter Ford has told 3AW that he was initially cynical about the timing of Lyon’s mental health announcement.
“A lot of people think ‘Oh, that’s crap. It’s PR spin’,” Ford said.
“Don’t doubt for one second that this is a genuine situation that goes back not just months, but years.”
Bill Brownless said over the weekend that his friendship with Garry Lyon was all but over | Image | news.com.au
Ford said the reported relationship between Lyon and Brownless’s ex was not a fling.
“They don’t perceive it to be a fling … they perceive to be much more serious than that,” he said.
“Whether it survives this storm remains to be seen.
“As I understand it, they were both free agents at the time.
“It does contravene the ‘mates code’ … but it happens. Sometimes in life people fall in love with the wrong people.”
LISTEN to Peter Ford here:
Garry Lyon announced he was battling depression as news broke Brownless had learned his former wife Nicky was in a relationship with great mate Lyon, reported The Age over the weekend.
Lyon’s former Melbourne teammate David Schwarz said on Monday that the fallout between Garry and Bill was a tragedy.
“It’s a tragedy for a number of reasons,” Schwarz told SEN. “Now two families are torn apart. We’ve got two blokes who were best mates.”
“When I went to Garry 10 years ago he said in media you’ll be able to trust a few people and you’ll maybe be able to trust one or two with everything you’ve got.
“I remember him distinctly telling me that Billy Brownless for him was that person. That no matter what happens with Bill, you can always rely on Bill to be there and actually to cover you and you could tell (him) everything you needed to and it wouldn’t go any further.
“For that to happen — and there’s only one reason for that and that’s shocking decisions that have been made by consenting adults that have crossed a line and probably ruined relationships and passed a point of no return — unfortunately great relationships are probably ruined forever.”
Lyon and David Schwarz in their playing days | Image | SEN
Schwarz said some had noticed changes in Lyon in recent times.
“In the last 18 months, the club, and ex-teammates and people at the Melbourne Footy Club have realised and noticed that Garry has been absent,” he said.
“He’s actually angered a lot of his ex-teammates because he hasn’t returned calls, he’s just been very aloof — which is very unlike Garry. Normally he was to the minute in getting back to you, being available and putting his hand up to help you out.
“So I think he angered a lot of ex-teammates, he was concerning for a lot of teammates — they weren’t sure where he was at and were dismayed. They felt let down at times by Gaz too because he’d been such a reliable pillar throughout many, many years.
“In light of what we know now, there was obviously a lot going on. Whether it was his mental health or whether it’s the circumstances (with the Brownless’s) which got him to that case, it’s been weighing him down,” Schwarz said.
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