’Scumbag’: Sam Newman calls out ‘neo-Nazi’ Blair Cottrell

Sam Newman has turned the flamethrower on a prominent ‘neo-Nazi’ in the wake of fierce backlash to an upcoming podcast episode.

Sam Newman has taken aim at ‘neo-Nazi’ Blair Cottrell in the wake of fierce backlash to an upcoming podcast episode.

Newman found himself under heavy fire on Monday when an image promoting the next episode of his ‘You Cannot Be Serious’ podcast was posted to social media.

The image was uploaded by Cottrell and showed him standing alongside Newman and Thomas Sewell.

“Today Thomas Sewell and I had a chat with footy icon Sam Newman. Keep an out for the podcast!” Cottrell captioned the photo of the trio.

On Tuesday afternoon part one of the podcast was released with Newman turning the flamethrower onto Cottrell.

Newman elaborates how he had sought out Sewell for a conversation but notes Cottrell had “accompanied him” and that he “wasn’t invited”.

“I interviewed two people I thought were of interest because I had never heard of them until the media kept showing them coming out of court and putting them in the paper,” Newman said.

“I reached out to one of them, I reached out to a bloke called Thomas Sewell and I said ‘would you like to come in and be interviewed?’.

“A man accompanied him called Blair Cottrell who wasn’t invited, he was an interloper.

Blair Cottrell (left) and Sam Newman (right) shake hands.

“He sat where you are Ivan and he turned out to be a turd, he turned out to be an opportunist. He posted today that maybe the Foss was one of us all along or something like that.

“Blair is a scumbag. He is a 24-carat gold scumbag.

“As I said he wasn’t invited and he thought he is a star f***er. He thought he would link me to his cause and he’s posted pictures of me on the Footy Show and then put Nazi photos in the background trying to link me to his cause.

“Thomas Sewell was responsible, as in he was here because I asked him to be here.

“Cottrell turned up and in his pissy little world that he lives in, his diminutive pissy little world where he can’t make it on his own he tries to link people with stronger juices.

“He’s a parasite. So that’s him.

“I have plenty of people who are friends of mine who are Jewish and many who are Muslim, I do not have any friends who are Nazis or neo-Nazis. None.”

Thomas Sewell (left), Sam Newman (middle), Blair Cottrell (right). Picture: X/Thomas Sewell

The remarks from Newman didn’t sit well with Cottrell who took to social media to clear things up and return serve on the AFL personality.

“I expected the pressure would get to him in some way, but I didn’t foresee him turning around and personally attacking me, as though it’s all my fault,” Cottrell wrote on X.

“No one should be disappointed though, he’s doing his best to weather the storm. I think Sam is trying to rationally understand the extraordinary hate he’s getting.

“But he said stuff that wasn’t actually true, namely that I wasn’t invited onto the show and that I misrepresented him on X yesterday.

“So here I am clearing that up.

“The truth is, I wasn’t invited to the studio but I was invited onto the show, by Sam himself. Initially, I just drove Tom to the studio and thought it would be cool to meet Sam Newman.

“After walking inside, I shook his hand and suggested I would wait off-set on the couch, but Sam said: “You can jump on as well if you want to” before gesturing for me to sit next to Tom.

“Now Sam is apparently declaring me an uninvited interloper and that I somehow took advantage of him.

Newman took aim at Cottrell for not being invited onto the podcast. Picture: David Crosling

Cottrell said he wasn’t originally invited but Newman told him to join. Stuart McEvoy/The Australian.

“Sam also seems to think a photo and then a meme I posted (which is obviously a joke) is the reason for all the criticism he’s getting. But it’s not.

“The actual reason for all the criticism is he naively believed he could interview black-listed ‘Nazis’ with impunity.

“If Sam wants to play it safe in the future, he should stick to platforming drug dealers, prostitutors and murderers, he won’t cop any flak for that because these characters are no serious threat to the establishment.

“You wanted controversy Sam, and you got it.”

Newman didn’t bite his tongue as he spat back at Cottrell as a war of words between the pair exploded on social media.

“My only disgust is you trying to link me to your pathetic platform,” Newman wrote in reply.

“You were NOT invited to the podcast. You’re a gratuitous opportunist. You insisted I shake your hand (pic) as if to suggest compliance.

“I have more substance in one of my farts than you have in your entire body.”

Cottrell hit back at Newman. Supplied The White Rose Society

Newman slammed Cottrell for being a “gratuitous opportunist”. Picture : NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

Cottrell again returned serve by stating he was trying to “promote you & your show” and claiming because of him the podcast had gotten more eyeballs than any other upload.

“Really mate I was just trying to promote you & your show. And you’ve gotten substantially more views out of it than any of your other podcasts already, by far,” Cottrell wrote.

“You seem to be looking for a scapegoat but I’m not the one decrying you and demanding you be removed from the AFL hall of fame over an interview.

“You might not recall, but you did (in the moment) offer me a spot on the show. If you didn’t, then how the hell did I get on there? I didn’t magic myself into the seat. And I didn’t force you to shake my hand either, I asked and you agreed.

“You obviously didn’t realise what you were getting yourself into, so now I’m your punching bag.”

A war of words erupted between the pair. Picture: Alison Wynd

The war of words comes a day after Newman had taken to X to issue a statement claiming he had been asked to not publish the episode.

A request the 79-year-old promptly denied.

“I interviewed Thomas Sewell and Blair Cottrell … neo-Nazis on You Cannot Be Serious podcast,” Newman said.

“I haven’t posted it yet but I was asked by a journalist because Blair Cottrell posted a picture of him and me and Thomas Sewell on X and I’m associated now with being a neo-Nazi.

“I replied to the journalist who said is it appropriate to put this on and chat about who they are and I said I by no means condone what they’re on but I thought they’re people of interest and I’m going to put it to air.

“If you think I’m a Nazi, so be it.

“Why don’t you have a look at what they say and what I ask them and you make your mind up.”

Originally published as ’Scumbag’: Sam Newman calls out ‘neo-Nazi’ Blair Cottrell