Furious Collingwood president Eddie McGuire and angry teammates want defender Heath Shaw to fry in the AFL media spotlight after his drink-driving disgrace.

Shaw crashed his utility into two parked cars while drunk in Melbourne on Sunday night, returning a 0.14 blood alcohol reading when breath-tested by police at the scene.

The incident has heaped further unnecessary pressure on the slumping Magpies, who are no strangers to drink-driving incidents among their players and have lost their past three matches to be in danger of dropping out of the top eight.

But Shaw, one of the club's best players, will be allowed to play for the Magpies in their critical match against St Kilda on Saturday night.

The club's leadership group said it wanted Shaw to face head-on the humiliation and embarrassment of letting himself and his club down.

As Shaw was forced to apologise publicly, McGuire branded the 22-year-old a clown, while Magpies captain Scott Burns said he felt so let down and annoyed he would struggle to support Shaw in the heat of match battle.

"The way I'm feeling, if the game against St Kilda was today and St Kilda players roughed him up at the first bounce, I'm not sure I'd go over to Heater (Shaw) and support him to tell you the truth," a visibly angry Burns said.

"We want to make sure he's put up here, we're going to put him up Wednesday at the normal mid-week one (media conference), and he's definitely going to play on Saturday night.

"We want him to be in the papers the next two or three days, on talkback radio.

"He's going to be under the pump and he's got to respond. He's let us down."

McGuire was just as livid, saying he was sick of "clowns" like Shaw failing the club and its supporters.

"It is time these guys grew up and took responsibility for their actions," McGuire said.

"We've had enough of these blokes letting us down at the Collingwood football club. They're not five-year-olds now, they're grown men.

"They have to take responsibility and the best way to take responsibility is to stand on the centre of the ground at the MCG in front of 70,000 on Saturday night ... play the game of his life and actually show that he wants to be a Collingwood player, that he wants to be part of the AFL, and he wants to be a responsible citizen.

"Fans deserve more than have players going into a vital game out drinking at night, full stop."

Shaw, Burns and club officials were also forced to deny trouble-prone Magpies midfielder Alan Didak had any involvement in the incident after Didak was spotted at the scene of the accident.

Shaw admitted he had been drinking with his brother Rhyce and Didak at a nearby hotel, but said while Didak was briefly at the scene to offer support, he was not in the car at the time of the crash.

Last year Didak was threatened with the sack after accepting a ride home with Christopher Wayne Hudson, who this year pleaded guilty to killing one man and wounding two other people in the shootings in Melbourne's CBD last year.

The incident will also bring back dreadful memories for Shaw's family after his sister Laine was lucky to survive a 2005 car crash in which she sustained serious injuries.

Shaw said he felt "embarrassed and empty" over the incident for which he has been fined by police and lost his licence.

He also faces a further $10,000 fine from his club.

"I've let a lot of people down. Not only myself but the club and supporters," Shaw said.

"I thought (driving home) would be easier. I had my car there, and you don't really think of the repercussions of what you're doing.

"You just think about doing it, and obviously now I'm paying for it, and that's all fair for me."

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