Phil Rothfield, Kieran Foran and Eddie Hayson plot thickens
Just when you thought Friday's story on News Corp sports editor,
Phil "Buzz"
Rothfield's association with former brothel owner and Sportsbet enthusiast,
Eddie Hayson couldn't get any more sensational, along came Sunday's newspapers.
There, splashed across prime real estate in News Corp's tabloids in league-loving states was
the remarkable story of footballer Kieran Foran's suicide attempt, based on a Rothfield interview.
It was a tabloid yarn of unquestionable significance. But for it to appear two days after Rothfield was named by the
Herald's Kate McClymont and Nick McKenzie as having received payments from Hayson – a man alleged to be at the centre of some of the most sensational betting scandals in rugby league and racing – has left some in News' hierarchy gobsmacked.
"Foran was driven to the interview by his good mate, punter Eddie Hayson," Rothfield writes, before quoting Foran as saying about Hayson: "I can't speak more highly of the bloke. I know that there is a lot of stuff out there about him. I don't think a bloke should be judged on what he has done in the past."
Interesting to note that while Rothfield did the interview at Fox Sports studios, using a Fox Sports camera crew, Fox Sports were not airing the interview on Sunday.