Our apology

[Music] Hey guys, what's up Riley from FTK here. I'm joined by Joel and Grego. I'll let them jump on in a moment but we just wanted to quickly jump on and put out a short episode. This is not a usual FTK episode. We wanted to jump on and address the discourse from probably the last 24 hours. We're recording this Sunday afternoon after Ballarat marathon. There's been a lot said online over the past 24 hours really in relation to an episode that I co-hosted earlier in the week with Grego and also Fraser. So yeah, we really just wanted to come on and address that conversation. Been a lot of criticism leveled at us around some comments that Ryan made and like first things first or let Ryan speak in a moment but fully take the accountability on board. We're all pretty I guess sick in the guts thinking about the impact that we've all had on people this week. We're usually really proud of the positive impact we have on running. We're really disappointed in ourselves for the negative impact we've had on the sport this week and we'll talk more about that in a moment but I just think it's really important that we get on and speak to our audience and not speak to the audience through keyboard comments and those sorts of things. So I'll speak a bit more about my my action is this week and how I'm feeling about it but I think probably most importantly it's best to hand over to Grego and let him kick off. So Ryan, thanks for jumping on. Thanks Riley. Firstly, I want to you know I owe an apology from my comments on the episode. This isn't a representation of how I see women in sport. My wife is an elite athlete and some of my my proudest moments in the sport of running have been watching her win or be successful and beat up on male athletes. Even as recent as this morning. When I heard the clip back I immediately regretted my choice of words. It was it was really you know a poor attempt at humour. My comments were wrong into rogatory and paid a terrible picture. How I actually see women in sport and running especially. I am embarrassed about those those comments. You know since since yesterday I've locked away from social media because you know I am ashamed that I have offended so many people. You know I read the comments initially and I've seen how fennied has been for women to hear this clip and for that you know from the bottom of my heart I am truly sorry. That isn't me. I respect the female athletes in this sport so much especially because my wife is one of them and I would hate the young female athletes to think that I am that person that you know they heard on that episode so I truly am sorry. Yeah it's been a very big yeah not even twenty-four hours, eighteen hours or whatever it might be. I think I wouldn't mind just addressing I guess my part in that I think a lot of I've had a lot of commentary as well since yesterday about my rolling this I obviously as I mentioned at the star I co-host that show with Ryan and there's a lot of people disappointed that I didn't I guess pull Greg O'Up or or challenge the conversation and that's fair enough I take that on board. It was something at the time that I didn't think much of which is probably an issue in itself but I think like again listening back I feel silly that I didn't say anything and I'm disappointed I think when this like when this first sort of came to light last night the first thing I thought about was just friends in the industry and how disappointed they would be Elise Beakham who a lot of our listeners would know I used to host the podcast with Elise I saw her last week at Princess Park and I was like oh she's gonna be really upset with how I handled things here and so fit who's my podiatrist and also a listener of the show and we talk about the show a lot and and you know countless others for right and all of our female listeners so yeah really disappointed in that I'm really happy to be held to account like I think I think the accountability is good we need that when when not perfect I'm a very flawed individual and I'm sure many of our listeners have their faults as well so yeah look feeling exact same way as you guys obviously as a founding member of FTK you know I started this podcast back in 2022 with Brett and you know we've always wanted to make FTK a fun supportive space for all runners so to come across as the exact opposite of this was like incredibly you know sickening and for that I'm truly sorry as well I thought it was important for me to jump on today while I wasn't on the episode you know for me I'm doing most of the social media management and that was me who left the comment on the female athlete project last night you know in a bit of a panic and I'm not PR trained I don't know if it was the right thing to do but I wrote something up and I missed actually you know the words I'm sorry and you know for that I am sorry it was reading it back I was like you know I wish I wish I didn't leave that or I wish I just came up straight off the bat and apologized because it just added more fuel added more fuel and again as well like to give some context as to why I was turning off the comments there's still you know lots of comments coming in and you know we deserve that and you know we welcome all those comments especially for people giving us you know construct this I've had a lot of dns you know telling us like how we can do better and what we can do better but you know leaving comments calling us in cells and stuff I that's why I turn the comments off because I thought it's not gonna help anything but you know speaking speaking to my partner Chelsea last night who I'm always you know asking for advice from her and I was speaking to her and she said when she could see how distressed I was was from all from all the the messages and and she did feel so for me in a way but she also said look Joel like this is a lesson you you know you a man you've got male privilege and you are never gonna understand how a message like that will affect us women and you know when she said that it's like makes me think and you know I've always thought that I I'm a massive supporter of women like again I was down at Ballarat today's cheering on a lot of my a lot of my women athlete male athletes a bunch of them but there's always so much I can do better so you know definitely I'm incredibly sorry for for how this panned out and I just yeah want to want to make sure I'm sincere. It's something I always think about just on the drive home like and Joel you and I talk oh and Brad like talk of Fabi about the show and the structure and all those sorts of things in like I know I kind of host most of our patreon stuff and I think we're probably just not like I don't know I feel like maybe maybe the show rosters have changed a little bit in the past 12 months and maybe we've just we've lost some of that female balance and we've got a little bit too blokey and comfortable or whatever that might be so it's probably like because I think we we have had a really good this is not like a defense thing but we've have had a really good history of like great female hosts and great female voices on the show and just for whatever reason that's probably we don't have that right now and so maybe that's just another thing for us right is like cool as part of trying to be better and trying to make sure we do have the female perspective in the room with us is like okay well what are we doing about our show structures and our scheduling and making sure we've got more strong female voices in the room with this whether that's you know people like Kess who have had on a lot or Elise or Alice or whoever that might be that's exactly right I think it's it's all well and good to come on and give us in seropology and be sorry but if if you don't actually listen to what's being said to you and you know whether it be implementing changes or just at least recognizing what people are saying rather than just coming on just saying sorry and then just go straight back to back to recording as is you know I really want to learn from from this yeah and so I think let's like we can finish we can finish this up but they're like I appreciate everyone who is listened with I don't know open mind or like I'm sure it's disappointedness but also wants to hear what we've got to say like that's all we can ask for if you've got this far and still think we are whatever then then that's that's fine I don't think we're ever going to change your mind but yeah we're doing a best please like in terms of holding us to count and giving us your feedback please continue to do that not not against that at all the abuse though like I keep doing that if you want but it doesn't serve you it doesn't serve us it's just it's not helpful but yeah I think that's yeah about it I don't quite know how to sign off with never to sign off a show at least no no It doesn't feel good, but it's a good lesson, I think. And once again, really sorry, guys.