Caroline Wilson responds to Eddie McGuire’s ‘shock’ departure

Caroline Wilson admits she was “shocked” by Eddie McGuire’s sudden departure as Collingwood president on Tuesday.

But the veteran football reporter said it was clear he had to go.

Wilson told 3AW that McGuire had badly “misread the play” with his statement in response to a report that uncovered “systemic racism” at Collingwood.

She said it was clear from leaks in the media that players, board members and staff had turned against him.

“It might sound like I’m being brutal,” Caroline Wilson said.

“Everything we say is underlined by the fact we know that he did so much good and that the club, in my ways, is in such a better position, certainly geographically, than when Eddie found it.

“He came to Collingwood so determined to unite all the factions and you couldn’t say, last week, that’s what he’d done.

“You’d have to say last week they were a club savagely divided.

“I think that it’s sad that it’s ended like this for him.

“From people I’ve been talking to today, the one thing they were all united on, in the end, was that he had to go and they couldn’t possibly get past this until he did go.”

She also shared her thoughts on who was likely to replace McGuire in the role.

Click PLAY below to hear Caroline Wilson’s thoughts