Billy Brownless says strippers comment at footy night was stupid

GEELONG legend Billy Brownless has admitted calling a mother and her daughter strippers during a footy night gig was “stupid”, after earlier describing the gaffe as a “throwaway line”.

GP@23 Party red carpet arrivals. Billy Brownless

GEELONG legend Billy Brownless has admitted calling a mother and her daughter strippers during a footy night gig was ‘stupid’, after earlier describing the gaffe as a ‘throwaway line’.

Brownless, regarded as a legend of the Geelong Football Club who gained greater fame on Channel 9’s The Footy Show, has been slammed for his comments at a junior football club function directed towards a mother and her 18-year-old daughter “here come the strippers’’ on Friday.

The pair were walking past the private Hawthorn Citizens Junior Football Club event at Glenferrie Hotel when Brownless, who was MC, made the comment.

Brownless’ ridicule was met with laughter by those at the function, the mother said.

“I nearly tripped over I was so taken aback,’’ she told Fairfax Media.

“We were just two innocent people walking through a pub, we were completely embarrassed. I was mortified, especially for my daughter.

“That women can still be the brunt of a joke like that is just so degrading. We are trying to teach our children to be respectful, and they are trying to educate footballers to be more respectful towards women, so to hear that kind of comment is just not okay. It was a horrendous thing for my daughter to have to hear.”

Brownless has apologised, but initially said the comment was a “throwaway line”.

He later said he was deeply sorry for the hurt he caused.

“It was stupid and there’s no excuse for it,” Brownless said.

“I have daughters of my own and I would be mortified and angry if anyone said such remarks about them.”

The mother, who did not want to be identified, posted about the incident on Twitter following violent scenes in which a man hit a woman at the Fremantle v Hawthorn preliminary final on Friday night.

She has criticised the comment for reinforcing a football “thug’’ culture underpinning violence against women.