"You love the Cox": Channel 7 responds to Lawrence Mooney's inappropriate on-air comment.

It all began when the panellists of The Kick decided to discuss one of the AFL players with the last name “Cox” before the game.

Lawrence Mooney shared the panel with Luke Darcy, Sam Lane, and Matthew Richardson, all of whom continued to use the word “Cox” solely in reference to the player’s last name.

But Mooney picked up on an opportunity to garner some laughs, because he “loved a double entendres”.

“Nobody loved a double entendres more than I do… now you might be interested in this,” Mooney joked.

“There have been 14 Cox to actually play the game, 15 Cox. That’s a bunch of Cox, more than a handful,” he continued.

“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 169cm.”

Then he addressed the only female amongst them, Sam Lane.

“And now I cross to you, Sam Lane, for the Cox report,” Mooney said.

“Because you love the Cox.”

Uh… no thanks.

Since the episode aired on live television last Saturday, Channel 7 has made comment on the the crass words from Mooney.

“Clearly, the comment falls outside our value system. Teamwork and respect for your teammates are highly valued ethics inside the culture at Seven Melbourne,” a Channel 7 spokesperson told The Herald Sun.

“There is a sincere friendship shared between Sam and Lawrence based on their genuine respect and regard for each other. They remain good friends.”

Speaking to The Herald Sun today, Lane revealed that Mooney “acknowledged that he overstepped the mark, and [she agrees] with that.”

“I’m sure he wasn’t trying to undermine me personally as a woman, as a journalist or as a professional,” she said.

Mooney told the publication that although the segment discussing double entendres was apparently pre-planned, no-one, including himself, intended it to go where it did.