Netball: Taurua's partner admits expletive-laden emails

Noeline Taurua. Photo / Bay of Plenty Times

The partner of Magic coach Noeline Taurua has admitted he sent abusive and expletive-laden emails to the Herald netball reporter over coverage of the team this year.

Edward Goldsmith last night did not resile from the essence of the emails sent to writer Dana Johannsen.

"This isn't a Noeline issue or a Magic issue. They had no knowledge of these emails. Nothing to do with them," Goldsmith wrote after being contacted last night.

Goldsmith claimed Johannsen's reporting contained a "continual" negative undertone that was personal towards Taurua, and that had angered their whanau.

"Yes, the language may be seen to be unfortunate by some but you need to reflect on the actual cause of this issue," Goldsmith added.

The Waikato-Bay of Plenty franchise does not intend taking any action over the two emails.

They came after the Magic players made a pact not to talk to Johannsen in the week before last month's ANZ Championship grand final because of perceived criticisms of Taurua and the team.

Although the franchise won't confirm it, the Herald understands Taurua is set to be reappointed by the Magic for next year.

Magic chairman Peter De Luca doubted the emails would have an impact on Taurua's reappointment.

"But I have to say I'm disappointed in the fact that this has happened," he said.

"I don't think it's acceptable, but I don't think it's directly connected to Noeline's position as an employee of Magic."

Magic acting chief executive Sheryl Dawson refused to discuss the email issue yesterday, deferring to De Luca, who said he was made aware of the emails only "in the last few days".

Dawson told the Sunday Star-Times last weekend that she was unaware of the issue, but the Herald had advised Dawson of the emails on July 21.

De Luca hit out at the players' silent treatment towards Johannsen in the days before the final, which they lost 52-42 to the Adelaide Thunderbirds, and the content of the emails.

"The Magic organisation and the board do not condone the sending of the sort of material you are talking about, it doesn't matter who they are sent by," De Luca said.

He confirmed Magic officials tried to prevent the players boycotting Johannsen ahead of the final.

The officials did not support the players' actions "and I guess you have to look at why it happened".

The problems stemmed from a feature article on June 11, entitled "The Madness of the Magic", and raised issues about the performance of the team, who include a core of international players, but who at that point had lost three successive games, including one by 17 goals.

There were no difficulties between Johannsen and the Magic players until the week of the grand final in Adelaide on July 11.

At that point, the entire Magic playing squad refused to speak to her on the eve of the biggest game of the year.

The following Tuesday, Johannsen's comment piece, which combined praise for the Magic's achievement in picking themselves up and rediscovering their best form to make the final, with criticism of their display in that game, triggered the emails.

The first, dated July 13, alleged Johannsen had "an issue" with the Magic, accused her of "a negative tone" before adding more personal insults.

The second, a day later, contained more vitriolic language.

For the players' part, Magic captain Laura Langman yesterday claimed the problems stemmed from a "miscommunication right from the start".

"We didn't collectively come together and refuse to speak to her ... and with the benefit of hindsight I think everyone involved in this process would have dealt with it extremely differently," Langman said.

The world's most capped player, goal shoot Irene van Dyk, claimed she had "nothing to do with it, and I was actually really surprised that none of the girls would speak to her because we try to accommodate the media as far as we can".

Netball New Zealand, a 50 per cent shareholder and overseer of the country's franchises, was reluctant to comment on the twin issues yesterday.

Chief executive Raelene Castle said NNZ had tried to broker a truce ahead of the final, without success.

Castle confirmed that she was unhappy at the run of events involving the Magic and Johannsen and saidof the emails: "I think it iscompletely and utterly abhorrentwhat happened to Dana and would never endorse such behaviour at all from any member of the public, oranyone from the netball community.

"That is completely inappropriate," she added.

When the issue was first raised with the Magic, Herald editor Tim Murphy acknowledged that journalists could not afford to be thin-skinned and that those who criticise must be prepared to be criticised.

"However the tone and, in particular, the source of these emails put the matter in a different realm," he said yesterday.

He said that the failure of the franchise to respond and/or act for nine days (between the Herald advising the Magic of its concerns over the emails and the franchise officially responding on July 30) showed up a level of dysfunction that was surprising.

"The chairman wasn't told, the acting CEO didn't want to know, the media person didn't raise it with the coach and no one tried to put an end to the behaviour of the coach's partner."

News that the Magic tried and failed to have the players stop a "pact" not to deal with Johannsen just underlined that things appeared to be out of control.

* Dana Johannsen responds: "Six weeks ago after the Magic wrote to me and stated they were unhappy with the story [of June 11], I gave them an assurance I would correct any factual errors in the article. They never responded."