Amanda Green, wife of late Queensland coach Paul Green, has lumped praise on Billy Slater for his ‘courage’ in picking up the phone to apologise to her and her family this week, while lauding his ‘true character’.
She added that her ‘heart breaks for Billy’, reflecting on the storm of controversy that has the Queensland boss this week in the build up to Wednesday’s State of Origin II match.
On Tuesday, Slater had been in the process of launching a barb back at former New South Walesprop Aaron Woods, but in the process, appeared to link Paul Green’s death in 2022 to a mental health issue rather than Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
It came after Woods had branded the 42-year-old former Melbourne Storm fullback a ‘grub’, while also questioning his character by referencing how slater kicked ex-Wests Tigers prop John Skandalis in the head during a game in 2006.
‘Although I might be able to handle [criticism], the next person mightn’t be. Maybe our last coach [Green] didn’t,’ Slater had said, during a press conference.
On Wednesday, which was also Slater’s 42nd birthday, the footy coach issued a public apology over the comment.
Paul Green’s wife Amanda (left and right) has broken her silence on Billy Slater’s shock comments about her husband
Amanda hailed Slater for his ‘courage’ in calling her after the comments were made, adding that her ‘heart breaks for Billy’ adding she understood the pressures of his role as Maroons boss
‘I feel terrible about what I said and I spoke to Amanda Green this morning and apologised for any hurt that it may have caused her and her family,’ Slater had said.
Paul Green’s brother, Rick, had released a statement on behalf of his family earlier this week, in which they accepted Slater’s apology, despite admitting the comments were ‘unfortunate’.
However, Amanda has now broken her silence on the matter, issuing her sympathies to Slater. Having been married to a former Queensland Maroons coach, Amanda added that she could appreciate the immense pressures Slater was under.
‘To begin with, I would like to say how very courageous it was of Billy to call me, completely unprompted, yesterday,’ Green said in a statement to The Courier Mail.
‘My heart breaks for Billy Slater as a partner of someone who has been in his position.
‘I completely understand the pressures of the role.
‘It shows a lot about his true character and what a fine role model he is for young men. I commend and admire him for that.’
CTE is a brain condition that many athletes who have played contact sports have suffered from in the past.
Slater had been attempting to fire a barb back at Aaron Woods, who had called him a ‘grub’, when the Queensland boss had appeared to make a reference to Paul Green
Green sadly died back in 2022 due to CTE. Amanda said that she wanted to use this opportunity to help educate members of the public on the illness
‘For me, I could not live with myself if I didn’t fight for my children and their sports-loving mates.’
It is a condition that is thought to be linked with repeated head injuries and blows to the head.
The condition can be slowly progressive and can also lead to dementia, with symptoms including mood changes and personality changes in the early stages of the condition. In the latter stages, memory loss, confusion and some movement issues can all occur.
Green, who is an ambassafor for the Australian Sports Brain Bank – an organisation conducting research into CTE – then added that the events of the past few days showed a huge lack of awareness of this horrific disease.
‘This statement is not about rehashing the events of yesterday.
‘However, in saying that, yesterday’s commentary did highlight to me just how far we still must go in raising awareness and understanding around CTE.
‘Paul was diagnosed with Stage Three CTE. Severe CTE. He was living with a very advanced brain disease.
‘CTE is a degenerative brain disease found in athletes, military veterans and others with a history of repetitive brain trauma. CTE is caused in part by repeated traumatic brain injuries.
In his public apology, Slater stated he felt terrible about his comment before apologising unreservedly
Queensland captain Cameron Munster issued a passionate defence of Slater after the match, stating that his side had a bit of extra fire to get the win on Wednesday night
‘I now have a responsibility to use my voice to help others, to help those who have lost loved ones, those who are currently struggling themselves or those who are supporting a loved one going through this horrendous disease.
Slater, meanwhile, received the backing of his players on Wednesday night, with Cameron Munster revealing that the Queensland side had a bit of extra fire in their bellys to secure the win for their coach.
The 42-year-old former fullback has copped lots of criticism in recent weeks following Queensland’s State of Origin Series opener.
‘When you’ve got jabs or blokes in the media having a go at your coach, at the end of the day he is our coach and he has done everything he can and ticked the boxes for us,’ he said after the match.
‘We didn’t perform for him in Game I and he got a lot of slack for it and a lot of stuff in the media and he didn’t deserve it.
‘I played with Bill, he is a champion player and a champion coach and I have had a great relationship with him and still do. We are really close mates.
‘When you have someone jabbing him like that, it really hurts. It hurts me personally and I never tell him that. I will tell him now, I love him.
‘I just want to do the best thing for him and the best thing for Queensland. He’s not doing this for him, he’s doing this for Queensland and he loves Queensland.
Slater was also seen sharing a touching moment with his wife Nicole in the dressing room after the match
‘That’s the reason why he’s so passionate and when you have someone like that at the top, you want to play for him.
‘At the end of the day… he’s the reason I want to play.’
‘That’s the nicest thing he has ever said to me,’ Slater responded during the presser.
The Queensland boss also responded that he was ‘very comfortable’ with who he was as a person.
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