sport news Peter FitzSimons hits back at colleague who smashed him in blistering public ... trends now
Journalist and anti-concussion crusader Peter FitzSimons has responded to a colleague who blasted him in a stunning public spray last week by saying he's shocked that the column was published by the newspaper they both work on.
FitzSimons' Sydney Morning Herald colleague Andrew Webster lashed out at his workmate in a no-holds-barred piece last Friday.
Webster said FitzSimons wrote a 'condescending' and 'personal' column reacting to his story warning the NRL not to overreact to calls to ban kickoffs after Dragons star Moses Suli was knocked out cold in the Anzac Day clash against the Sydney Roosters.
'It's too much,' wrote Webster. 'Rugby league people are growing tired of being positioned as out-of-touch bogans who don't care about their own.'
FitzSimons (pictured with wife Lisa Wilkinson) has hit back at a colleague who savaged him in a public spray - and had a few choice words for the newspaper they both work for, too
Journalist Andrew Webster (pictured) called his colleague FitzSimons 'condescending' and told him to stop treating NRL fans like 'out of touch bogans'
On Thursday, FitzSimons revealed his deep shock over Webster's words - and he fact they were allowed to be published at all.
'In my 38 years at this beloved paper, I don’t recall such criticism from one colleague on another being published – only occasionally clashing columns where we have had divergent views on ideas,' wrote the former Wallabies star.
FitzSimons then went on to explain that he admires Webster as both a writer and a man, insisting that the only difference of opinion he has with him is on the topic of concussion.
The 62-year-old stuck to his guns about the issue, saying he's against the NRL retaining long kick-offs because they 'frequently lead to men the size of Jared Waerea-Hargreaves running full-tilt at three huge men running full-tilt the other way'.
He added that concussion experts would back him up on the topic, explaining that 'there is a moral and legal imperative for the NRL to tweak the rules in exactly the same way that the NFL has' after the American league drastically altered its kickoffs to make players safer recently.
Fitzsimons believes the NRL can't be counted on to make changes on its own.
FitzSimons called for Sydney Roosters captain James Tedesco to retire after he suffered a concussion against the Bulldogs this year (pictured)
Webster (pictured) said he felt he 'had to fight' back against the ex-Wallabies star due to his repeated attacks on the NRL over the issue of head knocks
'In no commercial sports organisation in the world, in history, has this been the case,' he wrote.
'Each step forward has come from legal, medical and public pressure. I am proud to amplify the views of the first two and help inform the view of the third.'
In his column, Webster wrote that the NRL should abandon 'cosmetic changes' like calls to ban the kickoff and
