Lachie Neale and Abbey Holmes addressed the controversy sparked by their innocent TV kiss over the weekend, with Holmes revealing on Monday that Neale’s wife had sent him a text message of support.
Brisbane Lions superstar Neale and Channel 7 presenter Holmes shared a quick post-match kiss that sparked furore, with some saying it crossed a line.
The kiss took place earlier this month when the Lions played the Bulldogs in Round 13, and the act didn’t attract too much attention at the time.
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 couple, who are friends off the court, have generated a lot of conversation about whether or not the kiss was inappropriate.
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.
Neale and
Holmes also responded on Monday, describing the response as “really disturbing.” She told LiSTNR’s ‘Footy Talk’ podcast: ‘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.’
Abbey Holmes (pictured) and Lachie Neale have caused controversy with a simple kiss on the cheek after an interview
“They’re supposed to know each other very well,” AFL legend Leigh Matthews 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.
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.
Lions star Lachie Neale (pictured) is friends with Holmes off the field
“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.
‘It is 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.
