Abbey Holmes sent her fans a heartfelt message after the TV presenter sparked controversy by sharing a post-game kiss with double Brownlow medalist Lachie Neale.
Brisbane Lions superstar Neale was interviewed by Holmes after the Lions played the Bulldogs in round 13, but it was how the interview ended that made the headlines.
Holmes interviewed an exhausted Neale, and they both leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek once the talk was over.
The pair, who are friends off the pitch, have since sparked debate over whether or not the kiss was inappropriate, with some commentators believing it crossed a line.
Holmes took to social media Tuesday night to thank her fans for all their support.
Abbey Holmes (pictured) thanked her followers for their support over the past week.
‘Always focused. Thanks for the love this week people. “I heard you,” he posted on Instagram.
Holmes’ followers were quick to respond with words of encouragement.
“You are incredible at your job and an outstanding human being,” responded Emma Hawkins, wife of Geelong superstar Tom Hawkins.
“I was horrified by the reaction to a kiss on the cheek between friends,” wrote another.
‘Ignore the media. Keep doing it girl,’ a third responded.
Speaking on Channel 9 on Monday morning for Bank of Queensland’s ‘Vehicle for Kindness’ campaign, Neale said: ‘The fact that it was mentioned a week later is a bit strange. I didn’t really know until the other day. It was kind of a surprise.
Holmes, a former AFLW player, also responded on Monday, describing the reaction as “really disturbing”.
He said Neale’s wife, Jules, had checked to see if he was okay after the online outcry.
Abbey Holmes (pictured) and Lachie Neale have caused controversy with a simple kiss on the cheek after an interview
Lions star Lachie Neale (pictured) is friends with Holmes off the field
“Jules Neale…sent me a message this morning saying, ‘I hope you’re okay, this is ridiculous,'” Holmes said. news corporation.
‘I said, ‘Dude, I know.’ “Lachie is a friend of mine.”
Holmes also spoke about the kiss on LiSTNR’s ‘Footy Talk’ podcast, saying: ‘It’s really frustrating for me. Lachie is a good friend of mine, so that’s something you do: you say hello to your friends.
‘Whether it’s a hug or a kiss on the cheek. The fact that this was blown out of proportion to the incident itself. It’s really disturbing to me.
‘I don’t want to spend too much time on it because, for me, it’s not a story. And it’s not the first time that a player with whom I have a great relationship gives me a hug or a kiss.
“I’ve worked so hard over such a long period of time to build relationships, build trust, establish a good relationship with these players and coaches and make them feel like they’re in a really safe space when they’re with me. And that’s probably the most important thing. I get upset.
‘I don’t want my friends to feel uncomfortable about how they are going to greet me or say goodbye. It’s not fair. I just feel like (it was) blown massively out of proportion.’
Three-time premiership winner Brisbane Lions coach Leigh Matthews also weighed in and defended them for the seemingly innocent act.
“They are supposed to know each other very well,” he said on 3AW.
—Because normally you only give a kiss on the cheek to someone you know very well, otherwise you shake their hand.
‘I would shake hands with a woman I don’t know very well. The kiss on the cheek is usually for someone you know very well. I don’t know how well they know each other.
“I assume they know each other very well, otherwise it is something very unusual and that is why we are talking about it.”
Matthews went on to say that he had never seen that move after a game before.
‘Its the first time. She had never seen him before. Have you ever seen him? That’s why we’re talking about it. It’s quite unusual.
Holmes said Neale’s wife, Jules, messaged him to contact her because of the “ridiculous” reaction.
Journalist Kate Halfpenny commented on the kiss in a recent column in Age.
“The interaction was quick and not at all disgusting, but it was strange enough that my husband and I were like, ‘wait, what?'” she wrote.
“This was rare, for a TV talent to kiss or be kissed goodbye. You have to go back to Bec Judd deflecting from Tony Jones’ kiss attempt in 2016 after her last newsletter.
Halfpenny questioned whether it was okay to kiss friends at work.
‘Still, even if you are best friends with Eva, when you are both at work, is it a good look to say see you tomorrow with a kiss?’ To me, it was too familiar,” she wrote.
‘Place and time, people. You’re getting paid for this chat, so keep it classy, San Diego.
‘Intrigued, I rewatched the kiss a couple of times. Neither party seemed uncomfortable.
‘The incident has not caused a sensation in the media or on social networks. But at a time when former Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales faces a sexual assault trial for his creepy unsolicited kiss on World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso, I think it’s worth it. ask the question about the kiss.
Online football fans have also made their opinions known on the matter, with opinions divided on the issue.
‘Very inappropriate for the interviewer to kiss Lachie Neale. What would happen if an interviewer did it to a woman? Appallingly unprofessional behavior on the part of the interviewer,” one fan posted on X.
‘Has Abbey Holmes testified that Lachie Neal’s kiss on the cheek was inappropriate or offensive? No? Stfu and myob,” posted another.