Jason Akermanis sorry for attack on late Jim Stynes saying he was a 'nasty man' treated like a 'demigod'

He has been sacked from the radio show but says he would have quit the show anyway, adding the "$100 a week was not worth it".
Stynes' family hit out at Akermanisearlier today, saying his comments were appalling, ill-informed and could not have come at a worse time.


A spokesman for the family said today Stynes could never have been defined as a nasty person.


"Jim was often strong-willed and self-determined ... not nasty but hard," he said.


"He had been running in the game of life since he was 14 and he didn't stop until he was 45. As a consequence he was a self-made man.


"I don't think anybody could define him as a nasty person."


The spokesman said the explosive comments from Akermanis could not have come at a worse time for the family, which is preparing for Stynes' funeral on Tuesday.


"The timing of his comments is pretty appalling.


"But in this situation, Jim would be the first person to get on the phone to Jason Akermanis and say, 'Mate, let's go have a beer or come to the footy and let's have a chat', which is the mark of a man.


"He was a hard Irishman but he was genuinely compassionate person."


Akermanis initially defended himself after labelling Stynes as "nasty'' and declaring his state funeral was "overkill''.


In an explosive radio interview with Mix 92.7 FM on Queensland's Sunshine Coast today, the former three-time Premiership-winning player said the public outpouring of sympathy and grief at the passing of Stynes