Western Bulldogs president David Smorgon has hit out at Mick Malthouse for questioning whether Ted Whitten is a legend of the game.
Malthouse was speaking on 3AW on Tuesday morning where he, in an almost stream-of-consciousness fashion, queried whether Whitten should be considered a legend alongside the likes of Ron Barassi and Jock McHale.
Malthouse should probably prepare for a social media storm of disapproval from Bulldogs' fans after the club immediately took to Twitter to question the former Collingwood, West Coast and Footscray coach's comments, while also asking fans to vent their spleen against him on a Facebook page put up entirely for that purpose.
"I go around the MCG every now and again and have a look at some of the statues that are up there and I think they are legends," said Malthouse on 3AW.
"There's Barassi and others. Teddy Whitten, I don't know if Teddy Whitten is a legend but certainly Barassi is."
"Legend status is quite extraordinary and I think Teddy may well be a legend, I'm not too sure, but certainly Barassi and Jock McHale and Leigh Matthews, these sort of blokes, Kevin Bartlett probably should be if he's not."
"(He was) a good player, good player, but I'm just wondering whether he played enough games and did he play in premierships and so."
"He probably did play in the premiership in '54," Malthouse finally said. "He may of. Perhaps he should be a legend."
According to the AFL, Whitten, who passed away in 1995 at the age of 62, is categorically a legend, having been given that status after being one of the first inductees into the Hall of Fame in 1996.
Overall, in a career that went from 1951 to 1970, Whitten played in 321 matches, 10 of which were finals, including the club's only premiership in 1954.
He was also one of three Australian rules footballers recognised as a Legend of Australian Sport by the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, alongside Barassi and Matthews.
Malthouse to his credit tweeted soon after:
"My association w EJ Whitten was 1stclass.He was & always will be a legend of a bloke & of the game. No disrespect intended."
Smorgon, though, was initially left dumbfounded by the comments, although he said he gladly accepted Malthouse's latter tweet.
"I can't ever recall anyone attacking Ted Whitten's status as a legend of the game," said Smorgon initially, through the Bulldogs Twitter account on Tuesday morning.
"Ted's record is exemplary and I am extremely disappointed that Mick, who coached the Bulldogs in the mid-eighties, has questioned the status of one of our game's greats."
Malthouse didn't stop there, though, as he discussed his recent trip to Switzerland and Belgium.
"Probably Switzerland spoiled Belgium," he said.
"The Swiss, I've always been intrigued why people can make things happen and the Swiss with their watches, no wonder they've been going for a 100 odd years and you think, why are they still renowned for their precision?"
"(But) they're quite anal, the Swiss, it's only half the size of Tasmania, the people aren't exactly overly friendly but that's just their method, that's just their mannerism more so than being rude and every photograph taken is picture perfect."
"I went to Belgium after that and I found that Bruges is outstanding but really it's quite dull, grey, not exactly the cleanest place on earth and coming back to Melbourne you just realise how great Melbourne is," he said.