Hawthorn legend Michael Porter breaks his silence on the moment he learned he was declared dead during Australian Football Hall of Fame memorial tributes.
Hawthorn senior player Mike “Portholes” Porter has told of his shock at being “killed” by the AFL.
The 79-year-old major player was the subject of an incorrect death notice during the annual Hall of Fame dinner on Tuesday.
Collingwood star Dan Swan was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame, and Hawthorn’s Jason Dunstall was elevated to Legend status during the ceremony.
During the evening’s “In Memoriam” segment, which the sports body presents to pay tribute to sports figures who died last year, an unfortunate accident occurred.
The photo of Michael Porter that appeared in the In Memoriam segment. Photo: facebook
Appearing in the segment was Porter, also known as “Portholes”, who had played 78 games for Hawthorn and won a flag in 1971.
But the former sports star is alive and well, and says he only discovered the mistake when his former teammates called him.
“I found out when a friend called me and said ‘thank God.’ He was a guy called John Fisher who he played football with at Hawthorn,” Porter said from his home in the Sydney suburb of Greenwich.
“‘What do you mean?’ I told him and he said ‘it looks like you’re dead.’ She’s been in the Hall of Fame.’ and I said ‘no, I didn’t.’ And then all of a sudden I got other phone calls from other former teammates… and then I started getting phone calls left, right and center.”
He acknowledged it was an “honest” mistake and said he wasn’t too fazed by it.
AFL great Michael Porter at his home in Greenwich, Sydney. Image: NewsWire/Nikki Short
But Porter said his wife was “upset” by what happened.
“She was more devastated than me. “I haven’t talked about this with my children yet,” she acknowledged.
“In hindsight, now I think ‘oh, that was a little mistake.'”
But what really upset Porter was the fact that no one from the AFL had decided to contact him, despite the AFL issuing a statement to the contrary.
“I read today that the AFL said they had actually spoken to me and they didn’t,” Porter said.
“They made a mistake and then they say ‘oh, we’ve contacted him.’ “He understands, but they haven’t contacted me.”
Despite the mistake, Michael Porter loves life. Image: NewsWire/Nikki Short
In a statement issued earlier, an AFL spokesperson said they had contacted Porter to apologize for the error.
“Once we became aware of this innocent mistake, we acted quickly to call and apologize to everyone affected, including Michael, and we thank you for your understanding,” the statement said.
Despite all this, Porter has assured family and friends that he is “alive and well.”
“Everything is really over. I am alive and I am well. I had 43 rounds of golf today. There is nothing better than that,” she stated.
