Collingwood coach Craig McRae has moved quickly to address the rumours about his personal life and future as coach.
McRae was the subject of vicious rumours of a marriage breakdown during the off-season and felt obligated to address them with his playing group.
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Collingwood chief executive Craig Kelly slammed the rumours earlier in the week, labelling them “false and unfair” on McRae’s family.
McRae – at his weekly press conference on Friday morning – explained why he spoke to the playing group about the rumours.
“I am really grateful (of Kelly’s defence), there’s a lot things written that aren’t true and I have addressed that, it’s a crazy world we’re in at times,” he said.
“It’s become a little bit annoying and it was nice to get on the front foot and really nice to have support in my values and morals.
“I am really comfortable in my values and morals and what people say about me, I can’t control.
“I hear things and I go, ‘What’s going on here?’”
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McRae said his need to address the playing group was painted as more than it was.
“This is factual: it was like 10 seconds of a 30-minute meeting, it was just addressing the world we’re in,” he said.
“There’s heroes and villains, wins and losses and we’re all caught up in that and we play the game which is kicks, marks and handballs and this is the other game.
“Sometimes the other game tries to get involved in our kicks, marks and handballs and we try to educate our players around that – maybe I was a living example of that.”
McRae said he would not attempt to take action against any of the online speculation.
“My private life, we’re very comfortable my wife and I, and we’ve never been happier,” he said.
“What others write about us, we can’t control that, as you can’t … I am not a victim, I am here to do my job and how good is it to have the footy back, huh? How good is that.”
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The rumours of McRae follow the dramatic split between Brisbane Lions co-captain Lachie Neale and his wife Jules.
Neale stepped down as co-captain of the Brisbane Lions in early January, confirming he had separated from his wife Jules amid speculation of an affair with her former best friend Tess Crosley.
The dual Brownlow Medallist moved into a new home in Brisbane, while Jules and their two young children moved back to her hometown of Perth.
McRae was at the centre of new speculation on Friday after a report Carlton sounded him out to potentially replace Blues mentor Michael Voss.
“That’s not true, jeez, I have been caught up in a lot of things at the moment, haven’t I?” he said.
“I have got a contract here, I have just extended thankfully enough, and my best mate works there.
“That’s not … it doesn’t make any sense to me.”
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