Channel 7 has denounced a joke made by one of the hosts of its pre-game AFL show.
Comedian Lawrence Mooney was co-hosting The Kick on Saturday 26 May alongside former AFL players Luke Darcy and Matthew Richardson, along with commentator Sam Lane, when he launched into a discussion about AFL players with the surname Cox.
“There have been 14 Cox to actually play the game… 15 Cox. That’s a bunch of Cox – more than a handful,” he said.
“And there have been Cox of all different shapes and sizes. Lance Cox – dearly departed I believe – was one of the tiniest Cox to play the game at 169 centimetres.”
But here is where it went south for Mooney.
“And now I cross to you, Sam Lane, for the Cox report,” he said to his female co-host.
“Because you love the Cox.”
To her credit, Lane handled Mooney’s blunder with professionalism by quickly switching the conversation to “serious news”.
A Seven spokesperson told B&T that Mooney’s joke was out of line.
“Clearly, the comment falls outside our value system,” the spokesperson said.
“Teamwork and respect for your teammates are highly valued ethics inside the culture at Seven 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.”
Mooney and Lane have spoken off-air about the incident and both agreed the joke overstepped the mark, according to the Herald Sun.
Lane hasn’t made a complaint about the incident, while it’s understood that Mooney was told not to repeat his mistake at a regular Monday morning meeting for the show.
