AFL legend Warren Tredrea SUES Channel Nine for AXING him in furious row over Covid vaccinations
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AFL great Warren Tredrea is suing his former TV bosses at Channel Nine after a furious row exploded when he was ordered to get a Covid shot.
But after the former captain of Port Adelaide Football Club refused, he claims he was banned from the studios and forced to quit his $192,500-a-year job.
Now the 43-year-old footy hero has taken legal action in federal court against Channel Nine South Australia for ‘breach of contract’.
He insists he is ‘pro choice’ and not an anti-vaxxer, saying at the time of the queue: ‘I am fully vaccinated…but I am not vaccinated against Covid.
“Everyone has a right to what they want to do, because it’s your body.”
Warren Tredrea (pictured) said he was fired from the $192,500-a-year job after refusing to receive a Covid vaccine
Tredrea (pictured, with wife Bianca Potuszynski) is suing for breach of contract damages, claiming the job loss knocked him back $176,458.32 plus VAT
Nine SA told staff a year ago they had to have both Covid shots by December last year if they wanted to enter the premises, requiring employees to prove their status with a digital certificate.
But the AFL Hall of Fame star refused to follow orders, saying he was subsequently terminated midway through the contract on January 4 of this year.
He had refused to stand back in line, saying he had the right to choose whether or not to get vaccinated.
A clause in Tredrea’s contract said he should follow “all reasonable directions” from the network – but the player-turned-presenter insists the mandatory Covid vaccinations were unreasonable.
Tredrea’s contract, which he was halfway through when he got the boat, said he had to follow “all reasonable directions” from the network (pictured, Tredrea in the TV spotlight)
He said an unvaccinated person with the Delta or Omicron variant had a similar risk of transmitting the virus as a person with a shot (pictured, Warren Tredrea celebrates with Port Adelaide Power teammates in 2010)
‘It is everyone’s individual situation and choice. So if a player doesn’t want to do it, that’s fine, that’s their decision,” he said at the time.
“You can’t lose your job.”
He added: “I’m not an anti-vaxxer and I’m not a doctor, and I’m not trying to make out that I am.
“That’s all I’m saying: make your own choice and do your own homework.”
Tredrea claims that his refusal to be stabbed was not serious misconduct and that he did not do anything that “could damage his employer’s reputation or business.”
He is now seeking damages for breach of contract, claiming the job loss cost him $176,458.32 plus GST in lost revenue.
Tredrea – who won the club’s first Premiership with their big overall win in 2004 – is demanding the value of the remainder of his two-year contract and the missed opportunity to renew his deal later this year.
His papers filed with the court say he is “popularly regarded as one of, if not the, club’s greatest player in the AFL,” the report said. Adelaide Advertiser.
But Tredrea doubted the effectiveness and need for vaccines.
His claim in court maintains that an unvaccinated person with the Delta or Omicron variant had a similar risk of transmitting the virus as a person with a shot.
And he claims there is a very low risk of death and serious illness for other workers.
His statement of claim also alleges that there was an increased risk of certain medical conditions associated with the AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
The court documents say there were other options the company could have used to help unvaccinated people.
This included improving ventilation, social distancing and using RAT testing.
Both Tredrea and Nine declined to comment on the legal action.
But at the time of the ban on unvaccinated personnel, the TV station said it was for the “health and safety of our people and the continuity of operations.”
“As such, we are working to implement processes in our workplaces to ensure we have positive confirmation of vaccination status for anyone arriving at our sites in the country from December 1st to ensure we are working within the relevant health regulations.” .’
The football star’s statement said there were other options the company could have used to help unvaccinated people (pictured, Channel Nine studios in Adelaide)
Tredrea said there was a very low risk of death and serious illness for other employees in the company