Lachie Neale has broken his silence after he found himself at the centre of controversy for what he considered an innocent post-interview kiss.
The Brisbane Lions star was captured kissing Channel 7 presenter and former AFLW star Abbey Holmes on the cheek after the Lions’ win over the Western Bulldogs in round 13.
The incident went unnoticed at the time, however, has since been labelled as “inappropriate” with many suggesting Neale crossed a line.
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Speaking on Nine’s Today, Neale said he was “surprised” to learn the incident had become a hot topic one week after the game.
“The fact that it’s been brought up a week later is a little bit strange,” Neale said.
“I didn’t really know about it until the other day. It’s sort of come as a bit of a surprise.”
AFL great Leigh Matthews was one of the many commentators rattled by the incident.
“You must assume they must know each other very well because normally you only give a kiss on the cheek to someone you know quite well,” he said on 3AW.
“Otherwise, you shake their hand. I would shake the hands of a woman I don’t know very well.
“I don’t know how well they know each other. I assume they know each other very well, otherwise it’s a highly unusual thing which is why we’re talking about it.
“It is a first. I’ve never seen it before. Have you ever seen it? That’s why we’re talking about it. It’s quite an unusual one”
Journalist Kate Halpenny agreed with Matthews on the incident, stating: “The interaction was fast, but it was weird enough for my husband and I to say, ‘Wait, what?'”
Nine’s sports reporter Roz Kelly slammed the reactions to the innocent interaction as “unwanted attention” for the pair.
“This actually makes me really angry,” she said.
“It was an innocent interaction between two professionals who were doing their job and it’s hard enough being a woman in sport as it is, let alone attracting this sort of unwanted attention.”