John Singleton lunges at Jack Cowin with broken glass

John Singleton swapped rose for water today as the fallout continued from his long lunch gone wrong | GALLERY

High-profile businessman John Singleton has described pictures of his fight with fellow multimillionaire Jack Cowin as “bloody terrible”.

Photographs emerged today of the 73-year-old lunging at Mr Cowin with a broken wine glass during lunch at a Sydney restaurant. Video footage also showed Mr Singleton later joking about bashing a woman.

Mr Singleton told The Daily Telegraph today, the lunchtime incident occurred after “a couple of beers and half a bottle of wine” and he and Mr Cowin remained friends.

“I picked up the Telegraph this morning and couldn’t believe how bad the photos made it look,” he said. “It was bloody terrible and it’s not the sort of thing I want my grandkids to see.”

But Mr Singleton remained unrepentant.

“Neither of us are embarrassed about it, because it was just a couple of mates playing up. The only problem was that we were in a public place with a photographer around,” he said.

Mr Cowin has passed off the incident as “just like bear cubs playing around in a cage”.

Video also surfaced showing Mr Singleton joking to a cameraman that the fight was about a woman. “We don’t have one,” he quips.

Footage of a profanity laden spiel allegedly shows Mr Singleton joking about domestic violence.

“He was trying to find a woman to belt and I was trying to have a sex change so he could bash me,” he allegedly said.

When asked his views on violence, Mr Singleton runs towards the camera barking: “I f**king love it”.

Singo’s drunken lunge

While the comments were conceived in a lighthearted environment after a long lunch with old friends, their interpretation in the cold light of day could be problematic.

Broadcaster Ray Hadley asked his long-term mate to “stay off the drink, please” on 2GB this morning.

Mr Hadley refused an invite to join the controversial lunch yesterday and expressed his surprise that “Singo” was intoxicated.

“John Singleton shouldn’t be drinking, let alone drinking excessively,” Mr Hadley, who does not drink, said.

He said Mr Cowin and Mr Singleton were “like family” and after talking to both men today reiterated that the incident was “just a joke”.

“This morning they’re both embarrassed about what transpired, and so they should be,” he said.

Mr Hadley said he preferred to share a cuppa with Mr Singleton in their quest for sobriety.

“I bet Singo wished he’d been on the drink yesterday,” he said.

“They should be setting a better example, both of them, and they’ve admitted this, not only for their children, but for their grandchildren.”

Hungry Jacks founder Mr Cowin said today he had forgiven his millionaire and septuagenarian friend over the “10 second incident” at Kingsleys Steak & Crabhouse in which his ear was “slashed”.

“I have no problem having lunch with him again,” the Fairfax Media director told The Australian.

“He is a very good friend,” he said.

A NSW police media spokesman said officers were “investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident”.

Restaurant staff were forced to restrain a clearly intoxicated Mr Singleton who later claimed he was provoked by Mr Cowin, 72, who ribbed him for drinking rose rather than beer.

“It was just people having a laugh,” Mr Cowin said this morning.

“It has been picked up and made into something it wasn’t.”

He had earlier likened the incident to being “just like bear cubs playing around in a cage”.

“It was a long lunch — you know how these things go,’’ he told the Daily Telegraph.

Mr Singleton last night confirmed the incident related to his friend’s joke.

“Singleton was displeased with this and whacked Cowin over the head with a bottle,’’ ​he said, speaking in the third person.

Mr Singleton — who recently sold a majority stake in his 2GB station to Fairfax — allegedly told Triple M presenter Matty Johns the incident was a “joke gone wrong” in a text message today.

“A joke gone wrong, gone public, we’ve both been suspended nine weeks,” Mr Singleton allegedly wrote.

When asked about the “suspension” which could be from the Finger Wharf restaurant, Mr Cowin responded: “Good. It will keep him out of trouble.”

Former NFL star Colin Scotts, who was also at the lunch along with Mr Singleton’s son Jack, kept Mr Singleton company at the nearby Bells Hotel.

“Two old mates of 40 years of friendship just got up and had a bit of fun,” Mr Scotts said.

Mr Singleton was seen leaving the hotel at 6.45pm when his chauffeur-driven limousine collected him.

It’s not the first time business heavyweights and long-time friends have clashed in Sydney. In May last year gaming billionaire James Packer and Channel Nine chief David Gyngell came to blows in the city’s eastern suburbs.

The extraordinary punch-up was captured on film, creating headlines and embarrassment for both parties

Additional reporting: AAP