Sam Kerr, an Australian professional football player, should be removed as the captain of the Matildas.
Mitchell Johnson, a former fast bowler for the country, said that he doesn’t have a problem with making tough decisions regarding the country’s athletes.
His beef with Kerr stems from an incident that occurred in January 2023, when she reportedly got into an argument with a police officer after throwing up in a cab.
Kerr was not forthcoming with Australian football officials when the story first broke. According to Johnson, she should be called into question for hiding the details of the incident for a long time.
He wrote a column for a new news outlet called The Nightly.
Regardless of the outcome of the incident in England, Johnson claims that Kerr’s position as the Matildas captain should be questioned due to how she handled the situation. He added that she should have been held accountable for her actions instead of hiding the details of the matter. He said that leaders should set an example for the country’s youth by leading from the front.
Although professional athletes make mistakes, he noted that they should still hold themselves to higher standards. In January this year, Kerr was charged with a racially-related offense.
She was also accused of calling a police officer a “stupid white bastard.” She has since pleaded not guilty to the charges.
It’s not the first time that Johnson has targeted a prominent Australian athlete. In the days before David Warner’s final Test match, Johnson questioned the decision to allow the all-time leading run-maker to retire on his own terms.
He was disappointed with how the 30-year-old had struggled in recent years, especially after his controversial 2018 Sandpaper gate incident.
In addition, he claimed that Warner had not fully accepted the blame for the scandal.
In his column, Johnson asked why Warner was given the choice to retire on his own terms as he had struggled in recent years. He wondered why a struggling Test opener was given the opportunity to choose his own retirement date.
In his column, Johnson asked why Warner was given a hero’s send-off despite the scandal that occurred in Australian cricket. He was criticized for his response, including from Warner’s wife, Candice.
Despite the backlash he received, Johnson still maintained his stance.
Last year, Warner’s wife said that Johnson’s comments were not merit-based. She noted that he only used Warner’s name to get headlines. Kerr is scheduled to appear in court in February 2025.