A Current Affair reporter involved in an incident with former AFL player agent Ricky Nixon

A Current Affair reporter allegedly ‘elbowed in the jaw’ moments before going live on air | WATCH

Channel 9 reporter Seb Costello who said he was involved with an altercation with former AFL player agent Ricky Nixon. Picture: Tony Gough.

Channel 9 reporter Seb Costello has been involved in an altercation with former AFL player agent Ricky Nixon and described how “his elbow made contact with my jaw” moments before the journalist went live on air to do a radio interview.

Costello, a Melbourne-based journalist at Nine’s A Current Affair program, was doing a live cross with 3AW afternoons host Dee Dee Dunleavy on Wednesday afternoon when he spoke of the alleged incident that took place between the pair moments earlier.

He said there was vision from the altercation and it would be provided to Victoria Police - Channel 7 have since released vision from the incident.

Costello, who was on Bay Street in Port Melbourne, told Dunleavy he was following up on a report in Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper that said Nixon had been slammed by doctors for pushing unproven intravenous infusion treatments to vulnerable Victorians.

“Mr Nixon has come out of his home in Port Melbourne and I approached him, I’ll be very careful how I describe what happens next Dee Dee because there’s video of this on our A Current Affair cameras which we will be providing to police,” he said during the radio interview.

“In the process of speaking with Nixon his elbow has made contact with my jaw.”

Dunleavy asked Costello, the son of Nine Entertainment chairman Peter, if he was OK.

“Well, it’s fair to say it’s a first for me,” he said.

“We go into these situations obviously asking questions and with cameras rolling, so I can appreciate how that’s a proactive situation.”

He said Channel 7 reporter Teegan Dolling, who was also present at the time of the alleged incident, had “contact” with Nixon.

“We’ve talked to each other and she’s OK as I understand,” Costello said.
The reporter went on to explain that Nixon had used the media to boost his career and he had been involved in a number of controversial incidents.

Former AFL player manager Ricky Nixon lashes out over questions about his latest business venture. The full interview in 7NEWS at 6pm. #7NEWSpic.twitter.com/uBlyrw2Apt

— 7NEWS Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) July 27, 2022

Costello was already scheduled to do a radio cross with Dunleavy on Wednesday afternoon however the incident with Nixon took places minutes beforehand.

When Nixon was contacted by The Australian about the altercation, he said the reporters “stepped inside my premises” and he asked them to leave before they followed him down the footpath.

“I said, ‘don’t follow me, I don’t want to talk to you, you are invading my privacy’,” he said.

“I was then tapped on the back, I swung around and connected with the journalist and if they do it again, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.”

Nixon then abruptly hung up the phone.

Former Herald Sun journalist Luke Dennehy, who was in the area at the time of the incident, wrote on Twitter, “That was strange, literally saw part of the confrontation between Ricky Nixon and Seb Costello on Bay St, Port Melbourne. Nixon filming on his phone, seemed to be carrying on. Good job to get on the phone and continue your spot Seb on

@3AW693 @DeeDeeDunleavy.”

Dunleavy also tweeted, “this was a most extraordinary confrontation that unfolded live on air this afternoon”.

During the live radio cross, Nixon can then be heard approaching Costello who tells the former player agent numerous times to “calm down” before asking Nixon to move away from him.

A Nine spokeswoman said they were checking on Costello’s welfare and the vision from the alteraction would air on A Current Affair tonight.