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Eddie McGuire says he has no resentment towards anyone at the Collingwood Football Club, despite his recent outing after a 23-year term as club president.
Speaking for the first time publicly since his resignation, McGuire has denied the allegations of Footy Ranked co-host Caroline Wilson, whom board members Paul Licuria and Peter Murphy had “excited” her and leads to his hasty exit.
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“I didn’t discuss (my resignation), I made the decision myself,” McGuire said.
“I looked at it and thought it was becoming something that was too much of a lightning rod and I want to do the right thing.
“The last thing I’ll ever be is a rat on the folks at Collingwood Football Club.
“I’m going to go to the barracks for the ‘Pies, I’m a Pie until I die. I love the club and I love AFL football, and I want everything to be okay.
“I am not one of those people who go away hoping that there will be schadenfreude and that everything falls on their head, on the contrary.”
McGuire said he had a “good idea” of who leaked the club’s Do Better report to the media, adding that it would be a “total shock” if it came from someone on the Collingwood board of directors.
The 56-year-old also insisted his relationship with Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley was well placed.
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Buckley’s silence during the racist saga that engulfed the club during the offseason has been criticized, and McGuire admitted he had informed staff he would step forward instead.
“It’s such a touching subject and a lot of people wanted to move on and I said not to,” he said.
“It’s not because I’m a martyr, it’s because we want to move forward.”
McGuire also expanded on his now infamous “proud” comment at the press conference where the club addressed the report.
“When I spoke with the other directors before we left, (Collingwood board member) Jodie Sizer was very strong that we should take it over and be proud of where we are going,” a- he declared.
“There was a club statement we made that actually contained an apology. Jodie was there and she was proud of what we were trying to do.
“I accept what I said, I don’t put any blame on anyone else. Here is the situation: we are proud of what we are trying to achieve and where we are at and I look back and I can say that we’ve taken a really bold step forward in trying to do the right thing.
“A few days later, I thought it would be better if I got out of here, quit and gave the club a fresh, clear air to get things done, and that’s why I quit.”
McGuire admitted he struggled in the days following his tearful exit from the club, but said he is in a better space now.
“It was the most difficult day of my life outside of personal tragedies,” he said.
“It was something that meant so much to me. It was the right thing to do, I accepted the responsibility.
“I don’t blame anyone and please don’t think (that) when I said Jodie Sizer before I wrote the stuff, I said what I said.
“I was really, really sad and it affected me a lot, but I’m fine now because you get up, dust yourself off and go back.
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