Not that I needed it but this week has delivered another reason to despise footy. Watching the hamfisted coverage of the scandal engulfing the Sydney Swans reinforced my long held belief that our two major codes are inhabited by Neanderthals.

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I'm not talking about the five players at the centre of the story, now stood down for the rest of the season. At the time of writing none had been charged or arrested. A police investigation will determine if they'll face charges arising out of the sexual assault allegations .

No, I'm talking about the commentators.

I wasn't the only one left slack-jawed by the appalling reporting of the alleged incident in which a lineup of male sport reporters moaned endlessly about how the scandal might derail the Swans' chances of winning the premiership.

Several MPs, including Monique Ryan, David Pocock and Tanya Plibersek, stepped up to decry the language and focus of those initial reports.

The commentary carried barely a peep about the alleged incident or victim and too much about the harm to the team's prospects if the key players were to be stood down this close to the end of the season. When the story broke on Monday, it was almost as if the poor Swans were the victims.

Cry me a river, boys.

I don't give a rat's about the Swans' season, nor do I care about the players' futures. What matters to me - and, I'm sure, most people - is the allegation and the welfare of the woman who brought it to the police.

Senator Pocock, himself a former high-profile footy player, put it this way: "It shows how far we have to go as a country, if that's the first reaction rather than looking at the substance of the allegations and what it means for us as a society ... It's going to take all of us to turn this around."

He's right. It's not just the players at the centre of this who need to take a long, hard look in the mirror. It's the club hierarchy, the........

© Canberra Times