Former Swimming Australia president Nettlefold’s wife says he is just a fun guy

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The wife of former Swimming Australia president Barclay Nettlefold has defended her husband, saying he has no history of making lewd comments.

Nettlefold resigned on Sunday after admitting making inappropriate comments “in jest”.

He was alleged to have called himself a “donkey” in reference to physical endowment.

But his wife Tina Nettlefold said such “schoolyard comments”, including reference to a woman’s breasts, were not in Nettlefold’s character and were part of a personal grudge against him.

“That is just totally, totally out of character that he would comment on somebody’s breasts or whatever,” she said.

“My husband is a very extroverted guy, he is fun. He jokes and he has a lot of fun but he would never use those words.

“I know a lot of it would have been taken totally out of context.

Mrs Nettlefold claimed the allegations were a conspiracy to oust her husband after he made changes which might have upset entrenched views within the sport’s bureaucracy.

“Someone’s toes have been stepped on and they didn’t like it,” she said.