Footy fans have been branded ‘sexist and misogynistic’ by a journalist for their reaction to Dee Salmin’s explanation of why she chooses not to live with her boyfriend Darcy Moore.
Salmin, who co-presents Triple J’s The Hook Up with Pip Rasmussen, has been dating the Collingwood player for more than a year now.
But the radio host raised eyebrows among some fans in July after she gave a long-worded explanation for why they are living apart, adding that part of her reasoning was related to “heterodynamic learned behavior.”
“I don’t currently live with my partner, and we have such different, independent, busy lives,” Salmin said.
“We get so much of what we had when we were single in our relationship.
Footy fans have been branded ‘sexist and misogynistic’ by a journalist for their reaction to Dee Salmin’s (right) explanation of why she chooses not to live with her boyfriend Darcy Moore (left)
It’s understood Salmin and Moore have been dating for over a year, but recently revealed they chose not to live together
But after explaining her decision as to why she is choosing not to live with the Collingwood star, Salmin was subjected to widespread trolling online.
‘But I wonder how much you can actually maintain that if you eventually move in together. It is largely heterodynamically learned behavior that you can end up in.’
The comments caused a storm on social media, with Collingwood fans giving mixed reactions to Salmin’s explanation.
A social media troll caused a stir online, writing: ‘Darcy has money, fame and football skills but traded his gonads to a feminist witch.’
Salmin has since hit back at that person, with the radio host posting a video clip of her and her boyfriend at the 2024 Brownlow Awards on Instagram, performing a cover of the 1972 Eagles classic Witchy Woman.
She captioned the post: “Immortalizing the greatest compliment I’ve ever received.”
On Wednesday, it emerged that Salmin had also changed her Instagram bio to call herself ‘a gonad-stealing feminist witch’, adding a crystal ball emoji and a star emoji.
Many have defended Salmin following the barrage of online abuse, including journalist and Collingwood supporter Phoebe Saintilan, who lashed out at online trolls who had “disgraced Salmin’s character.”
In a piece published on Missing perspectivesTitled: ‘A love letter to Dee Slamin, from a long-time female Collingwood fan’, Saintilan delved into the social media backlash that followed Salmin’s comments.
Several social media users abused Salmin online following the comments, with one calling her a “feminist witch.”
Salmin responded to the comment by posting a photo of her and Moore, captioning the video: Immortalizing the highest compliment I have ever received’
Journalist Phoebe Saintilan criticized trolls online for their ‘sexist’ comments following Salmin’s comments
“What I saw happening on Collingwood forums and comment sections in Facebook groups and Instagram pages was outright sexism and misogyny,” Saintilan wrote.
The journalist added that she was “shocked” after reading some of the comments, claiming they “reminded me of how far we still have to go, both within the Collingwood club and across the AFL more broadly.”
Some had even claimed that their decision not to live together had been a reason for the decline in Moore’s performances.
One social media user wrote: ‘The sex better be much better than spectacular to put up with this nonsense.’
“This guy has got to be the wokest football player in history,” said another of Moore.
Meanwhile, someone added: ‘No wonder Darcy Moore is playing so poorly. His head is full of woke, politically correct, feminist nonsense.’
The broadcaster also changed her bio on Instagram after receiving abuse on social media
Salmin works as a radio presenter and co-hosts Triple J’s The Hook Up with Pip Rasmussen
When Santilan read through the abuse against Salmin and Moore (pictured) she said she was “shocked” and reminded how much work remains to be done to eradicate sexism and misogyny in society.
Saintilan questioned the outrage over Salmin’s comments, claiming that perhaps many fans chose to approach Salmin because she “doesn’t fit the mold of whatever these fans see as a ‘traditional’ partner of an AFL player?”
Concluding the column, Saintilan states that the radio presenter is a “breath of fresh air for Collingwood” and was someone the Magpies “desperately needed”.
She also appeared to note some of the controversies that have overshadowed the club, pointing in particular to former club chairman Eddie McGuire.
McGuire resigned from his position in 2021 following backlash over the findings of a report alleging there was systemic racism in Collingwood.
It also came after the media personality was accused of making a “misogynistic” comment on Triple M to Caroline Wilson in 2016.