Taylor Walker Involved In Footy's Biggest Non-Story | Thebigtip

I was rubbing my hands together when I heard of the latest scandal rocking the AFL as I sat down to watch some footy on a calm Saturday night. There's nothing like a juicy story to get the public going and I was ready to crack out an almighty "oooooh" in disapproval.

Little did I know that this alleged 'scandal' would turn out to be one of the biggest farcical stories I've ever come across.

Adelaide's Taylor Walker was seen at AAMI Stadium during the curtain raiser to Port Adelaide against Fremantle drinking beer with some mates after kicking five goals on Friday night for Norwood. I'll give you a moment to let that thrilling and controversial information set in.

Channel 10 aired the story after the Saints were triumphant over the Demons in a news broadcast that touted the report as the biggest debacle this decade. Gerard Healy and Tony Shaw also played their part in the story, both taking shots at Walker for harmlessly spending an afternoon at the footy with a beer in hand.

It's fair to say that a blunder of magnificent proportions has been made here. Have we really entered a time in this game where a player, who is not going to be playing for his respective club that weekend, cannot have a drink or two amongst mates?

Walker was simply minding his own business with his cap and sunnies contributing to his incognito appearance. He wasn't acting out nor causing a scene. It's genuinely baffling to think that this could even be considered as a story, let alone one that is the lead headline in a news broadcast.

Thankfully, Adelaide Crows football operations manager Phil Harper quickly responded to the story, stating "he had that beer with his mates and that was it."

And that's exactly all this story is - a bloke having a beer at the footy with his friends. If Walker was seen completely drunk and causing a scene then by all means, make a story out of it. However, creating a story out of what happened is joke and the person who allowed this story to get past brainstorming should have their position re-evaluated.

It is becoming evident that the media is attempting to breed the modern footballer into a potato that is only seen at training, club functions and games. What needs to be realised and accepted is that each player on every club list is just as normal as the next bloke. The only difference is their occupation.

For crying out loud, give footballers some leeway. I can confidently say that nobody in the football world could give a stuff about Taylor Walker having a beer with friends and some credibility has been lost for a number of media personalities and outlets after this fizzer of a story.