Sam Newman The Footy Show contract discussions yet to start

SAM Newman’s Channel 9 contract is up for renewal and his in-limbo negotiations are fuelling speculation about his — and The Footy Show’s — future. So Newman gave Page 13 the lowdown on where things are at.

SAM Newman’s Channel 9 contract is up for renewal but The Footy Show scallywag says he isn’t sweating yet.

Footy players normally get the wobbles right about now if a new contract for the next AFL season hasn’t been signed on the dotted line.

Newman, who played 300 games for Geelong, knows this all too well, but he says he isn’t worried that Nine hasn’t yet started discussions about renewing his contract.

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Sam Newman says he is sweating on his next contract at Channel 9 just yet. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

“My contract for Channel 9 is up at the end of the year so at some stage they will probably address it or they won’t,” Newman told Page 13 on Friday.

“But no, not in talks at the moment. Channel 9 at some stage will speak to me about my future one way or the other, I presume. That’s how it normally works.”

It’s hard to believe Newman has racked up more than 23 years on The Footy Show.

“I’ve had maybe 10 contract negotiations with Nine and none have ever taken place any earlier than maybe this one is going to be discussed.”

With ratings down again this year, some have speculated it might be benched come 2019, with Newman’s in-limbo contract negotiations further fuelling their fire.

But Newman says it’s business as usual.

“When you are in this business, and have been in it for as long as I have, you get very philosophical about what might be and what might not be.

“I’d be disappointed not to remain with the network, but that would be natural and hardly for me to canvass. It’s business as usual until it is not business as usual.”

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Originally published as Sam Newman The Footy Show contract discussions yet to start