Footy hall of famer Dermott Brereton has taken a shot at his former bosses at Fox Sports, accusing them of robing him of airtime because they favour a cold, statistics-based approach to covering the AFL.

The five-time premiership winner with Hawthorn surprised many fans earlier this month when he revealed he’s leaving the network after 14 years in front of the cameras.

Brereton had reportedly been offered a reduced role by the broadcaster but elected to step aside instead, saying he wanted to be able to watch the footy like a fan.

Now the 61-year-old has taken a swipe at Fox’s priorities.

‘I still want to have a voice in the Australian Rules landscape but how that looks, I’m still to determine,’ he told News Corp.

‘At Fox, and I totally get their call, the more statistically-minded analysis of the game got more prominent roles over the past three years, which didn’t allow me to have as much of a say.

AFL hall of famer Dermott Brereton (pictured with partner Julie) recently announced he’s leaving Fox Sports after 14 years

The 61-year-old took a shot at Fox for prioritising stats-heavy footy coverage at the expense of more emotional commentators like him

‘Statistics are great for what has happened, but football is about emotions and feel and class in a player.’

When his decision to end his time at Fox was first announced, Brereton described his time with the network as ‘more than merely a form of employment’ and shared his happiness that ‘I got to call football from almost the day I stopped playing’.

Brereton made 189 appearances for Hawthorn during his glittering career before going on to enjoy brief spells with Sydney and Collingwood.

The centre half-forward was known for his trademark fearlessness. He suffered a variety of injuries during his career and has since undergone multiple surgeries.

However, Brereton emotionally revealed in June how difficult performing daily tasks had become due to the toll those injuries had taken on his body.

‘I pathetically allow myself to become melancholy and even teary,’ he admitted back in June.

‘Some mornings my beautiful partner Julie has to put on my shoes and socks for me.

‘With the pain in my spine, where they inserted a cage, I can’t reach.’

Brereton (pictured playing for Hawthorn in the 1989 grand final) won five premierships in a glittering career

Brereton didn’t rule out a return to the TV screen completely but explained that he was looking forward to watching his partner Julie’s son, Archie May, play for Essendon.

‘Who knows, I might get the bug again and call again one day,’ Brereton said.

‘At 61, I will now have the opportunity to watch footy a little more as a supporter and that includes watching young Archie May playing at Essendon.’

Brereton called time on his footy career in 1995 and pursued a career in the media on a full-time basis, twinning his role as a director at the Hawks with commitments to Channel Nine and The Age.

He’d later jump ship to Seven in 2000 where he hosted the show The Game, but would return to Nine in 2002 to become a panellist for the AFL Footy Show.