DAMIAN Barrett says the Melbourne Football Club has "victimised" and "made a scapegoat" out of Steven May, after the injured recruit was recently photographed drinking a beer.
Barrett criticised the control AFL clubs have on players on their days off and argued May is entitled to enjoy a pint of beer in his own time.
"What right does a club have to tell a player what he can or can't do on a day off?" Barrett said.
"I feel they have made a scapegoat of him (May) for reasons I'm not comfortable with. You wouldn't dare tell one of your people what they can and can't do on a Sunday.
"Why can't an athlete do what he or she wants to do just because they're signed up to an organisation that pays them?"
The Sounding Board co-host Craig Hutchison supported the Demons and their decision to send the former Gold Coast captain into the club's leadership group to face a grilling.
"Most clubs have that same rule about drinking in rehab and recovery. Then you've got a high-profile, high-paid recruit, who turns up not fit enough, is injured in part because he wasn't fit enough to cope with the pre-season demands, so his body is out injured, and he's the one out drinking?
"Absolutely (the club) should pull him in and face the leadership group," Hutchison said.
Episode Guide
1 – Damo's $1 million marketing campaign
5 – Hutchy takes a boat to Geelong
7 – Media Moment of the Week – Daily Telegraph's "Mother of Invention"
18.30 – Steven May the scapegoat
25 – Israel Falou's high-level breach
28.15 – Eddie McGuire v Mark Robinson
31.30 – Scott Pendlebury calls Damo's Luke Hodge apology "arrogant"
34 – BT's race to become the next Bruce
36 – Egg Boy and Egg Girl
36.40 – An update on Sam Murray's B-sample
38 – Mick Warner and Bruce Mathieson
40.30 – NRL TV ratings boost
