AFL show apology after live ‘Cox’ joke overstepped the mark

A SEXUALLY charged double entendre aimed at award-winning football journalist Sam Lane has prompted an apology after the joke “overstepped the mark” and bombed on live television.

CHANNEL 7’s Sam Lane says comedian Lawrence Mooney “overstepped the mark” when he made a sexually charged comment towards her during a live broadcast.

The panel on the pre-game program The Kick, including Matthew Richardson, Luke Darcy and Lane, had been discussing players with the name of Cox.

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Mooney opened the segment saying he loved “double entendres” and there had been “more than a handful” of Coxes to play the game.

He also said there had been “Cox of all shapes and sizes” and talked about the “biggest” and “tiniest” Cox to play the game.

Journalist Sam Lane spoke to her colleague off air after he made an inappropriate remark. Picture: Supplied

But the joke bombed when Mooney brought Lane into the conversation, saying: “And now I cross to you Sam Lane for the Cox report … you love the Cox.”

Lane professionally swept over the comment, saying she would go to some “serious news”.

But Lane told the Herald Sun that she spoke to Mooney about it off-air.

“Lawrence has acknowledged that he overstepped the mark and I agree with that,” Lane said.

“The way the topic was thrown to me live on the night was definitely a surprise, but intuitively I thought the best thing to do was get to a newsy question of the day which was whether (Collingwood’s) Mason Cox was going to be suspended or not.”

The incident was discussed at a regular Monday morning meeting, where Mooney was told not to repeat the mistake.

Mooney told the Herald Sun this evening that he went too far.

“The pre-planned and produced double entendres segment (which involved the producers and all members of the panel), went one double entendres too far,” he said.

“I never intended to offend anyone — in particular my mate Sam.”

Comedian Lawrence Mooney was told not to repeat the gaffe again.

Lane said she had not made a complaint about the incident.

“Comedy lives on the edge and comedy lives and dies by that,” she said.

“Any comedian in the world will tell you about a joke that fell flat. I didn’t feel threatened in my workplace.

“He told me that if he had his time over, he wouldn’t have thrown to me in that way again. It was live TV, there’s no take-two.”

Lane added that the pair had known each other for a long time.

“I first met Lawrence more than a decade ago when I was cutting my teeth in radio at RRR,” she said.

“We have friends in common and we’ve worked together over the years on a number of things, the AFLW and AFL men’s with Channel 7 and the ABC’s Agony of Life series.

“At the footy on the weekend, I’m sure he wasn’t trying to undermine me personally as a woman, as a journalist or as a professional.”

Lane has worked in television for more than 15 years, becoming a permanent fixture of Channel 10’s Before the Game.

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She moved to Channel 7 in 2013 to take part in its Saturday night football coverage.

Lane was awarded the AFL Players Association Football Writer of the Year in 2007 and has released a book Roar, about the birth of the AFLW.

Mooney has been a panellist on The Kick and hosted a late night talk show on the ABC called Dirty Laundry Live.

He has also become known for his impersonations of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, regularly appearing on Triple M’s Hot Breakfast show with Darcy and Eddie McGuire.

A Channel 7 spokesperson said: “Clearly, the comment falls outside our value system. Teamwork and respect for your teammates are highly valued ethics inside the culture at 7 Melbourne.

“There is a sincere friendship shared between Sam and Lawrence based on their genuine respect and regard for each other. They remain good friends.”

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