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BREAKING NEWS: Under-fire AFL coach breaks his silence about extraordinary post-game outburst as the reporter he targeted is STOOD DOWN from his job after allegedly making derogatory comments about a female co-worker
- Fox Footy reporter stood down pending investigation into alleged comments
- Tom Morris allegedly made derogatory comments about a female co-worker
- Also allegedly made racist, homophobic and sexist comments in a video
- Comes less than 24 hours after Morris was slammed by Luke Beveridge
- Bulldogs coach has now apologised to Morris for furious post-match outburst
Fox Footy reporter Tom Morris has been stood down from his job after allegedly making offensive comments in video and audio recordings with the move coming as Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge apologised for his furious rant at the journalist.
Audio circulating on social media allegedly shows the AFL journalist making derogatory comments about a female coworker.
Another video clip allegedly shows him making a series of racist, homophobic and sexist comments.
Fox Footy journalist Tom Morris (pictured) has been stood down from his job less than 24 hours after he made national headlines when Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge verbally attacked him in a stunning post-match press conference
Morris (pictured right with fellow commentators Mel Jones and Andrew Symonds) is alleged to have made derogatory comments about a coworker in one clip circulating on social media, and making racist, sexist and homophobic comments in a second clip
A Fox Sports spokesman said, ‘Fox Sports has stood down a reporter pending an investigation regarding an inappropriate audio recording.
‘While it is not appropriate to comment further, Fox Sports is committed to a workplace where everyone feels safe, respected and valued.’
The decision comes less than 24 hours after Morris made national headlines when he was slammed by Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge in his press conference after the side’s loss to Melbourne on Friday night.
Beveridge has now issued an official apology to Morris for his comments.
Ahead of the game, it emerged that Beveridge had controversially chosen not to select premiership-winning midfielder Lachie Hunter for the clash – with Fox Footy’s Tom Morris initially reporting the team news.
Beveridge has issued an official apology to Morris after his stunning tirade
Beveridge saw red and erupted at the Fox journalist, labelling him an ’embarrassment’ during an icy exchange in the post-match press conference.
‘You’ve got the nerve to ask me a question and even be here,’ Beveridge responded to Morris’ question about the pre-game saga around Hunter.
‘You’ve been preying on us and causing turmoil within our football club by declaring our team well before it needs to be declared.
‘Is that the gutter journalist you want to be?
‘We went in with a plan, we had some late stuff go on out in the warm-up.
‘All the other stuff was according to plan right from the Sunday and somehow you’ve found out about that again.
‘We’ve got to get to the bottom of this, obviously we need to put our hand up to say there’s some leakage going on.
‘This is why the health and wellbeing in the game is caught up in all this stuff because we’ve got things to concentrate on performance-wise, we’ve got to look after our own and then you cause all this … that happens behind the scenes and names get brought up into it,’ he said.
Beveridge released the following apology on Friday afternoon.
‘I have reflected on my comments and actions from the post-game press conference after last night’s game and acknowledge that my exchange with journalist Tom Morris overstepped the mark.
‘I want to apologise for my behaviour. I want to apologise to Tom Morris and all those present last night and to our members, supporters, partners and the wider football community.
‘We have strong values at the Bulldogs that we all sign up to. They are values that I believe in and support and live. My actions last night were not consistent with those values or the way we go about business as a football club, or I go about life as an individual.
‘I recognised that what I did was not okay. It was not representative of our club culture which is so special and means so much to me. While I was highly emotional in the moments after a difficult loss, it is no excuse to let those emotions spill over and get the better of me.’
More to come.
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