Luke Beveridge addresses post-match outburst

Luke Beveridge has apologised for his verbal attack on reporter Tom Morris, who has since been stood down by Fox Footy on an unrelated matter.

The Western Bulldogs released a statement from their coach on Thursday afternoon.

Beveridge accused Morris of “gutter journalism” and said the reporter was an “embarrassment” to his profession.

LUKE BEVERIDGE STATEMENT

I have reflected on my comments and actions from the post-game press conference after last night’s game and acknowledge that my exchange with journalist Tom Morris overstepped the mark.

I want to apologise for my behaviour. I want to apologise to Tom Morris and all those present last night and to our members, supporters, partners and the wider football community.

We have strong values at the Bulldogs that we all sign up to. They are values that I believe in and support and live.  My actions last night were not consistent with those values or the way we go about business as a football club, or I go about life as an individual.

I recognised that what I did was not okay. It was not representative of our club culture which is so special and means so much to me. While I was highly emotional in the moments after a difficult loss, it is no excuse to let those emotions spill over and get the better of me.

As people would know, I am extremely passionate about, and protective of, our players and our people, and I always have their welfare and their best interests at heart.  I pride myself on being measured and thoughtful, however on this occasion I clearly didn’t handle it the way I should have, and I understand and accept that.

The last thing I want is for my actions to reflect negatively on the Western Bulldogs Football Club and our culture.  As I’ve said many times, I want our members and supporters to be proud of their Club on and off the field and to be proud of the way we conduct ourselves at all times, and I’ll continue to strive for that.

I take accountability for my actions.  We will work through that as a club and I will focus on getting the best out of the team for the remainder of the season, and my energies will be centred on preparing our players for our next game against Carlton.

In addition to Beveridge’s formal apology, the Western Bulldogs have agreed with the AFL to donate $20,000 to Orygen, a key partner of the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation, to assist Orygen with the important work it does in youth mental health.

Club CEO Ameet Bains told 3AW that the club had reached out directly to Tom Morris on Thursday morning to apologise, but Beveridge himself had not directly spoken with Morris.

Press PLAY below to hear Ameet Bains on 3AW

(Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)