Why Dee Dee Dunleavy didn’t like Damien Hardwick’s response to CBD bar fight involving players

Dee Dee Dunleavy says Richmond coach Damien Hardwick sounded contradictory when he spoke publicly about Shai Bolton and Daniel Rioli being involved in a CBD bar fight at the weekend.

The 3AW Afternoons host said the pair should have walked away and not got involved in the altercation that left Rioil with stitches under his eye and Bolton with a broken wrist.

It’s understood the fight started when Rioli took exception to “inappropriate behaviour” directed at his girlfriend by another patron.

Speaking on Fox Footy, Hardwick said he “didn’t condone violence” but “the reality is if you put anyone in that situation and they’re going to stand up for their partner and their mates” in a similar situation.

Dee Dee doesn’t agree.

“Walk away,” she said.

“If that young woman was somehow being threatened, they should have walked away.

“I don’t think the coach helped when he said that.

“I see the Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale has tempered those comments somewhat this morning and I want to congratulate him for doing so because I think it needed to be done.

“Whether he meant or not, it sounded as though Damien Hardwick was condoning what happened with these two young men that they were defending the woman and therefore it was OK they got into a scuffle.

“Brendon Gale made it clear today they would have preferred the pair had not intervened.”

Press PLAY below to hear Dee Dee’s comments