Australian rugby commentator apologizes for ‘golliwog’ call on TV

A veteran Australian rugby broadcaster said Sunday he regrets describing a Wallabies player as having a “golliwog” haircut during the first Bledisloe Test in Sydney.

The word “golliwog” – a black rag doll that became a symbol of racial stereotyping – was once widely used, including for chocolate biscuits manufactured by Arnott’s that were renamed in the 1990s.

Gordon Bray was calling the Rugby Championship opener between Australia and New Zealand for commercial broadcaster Channel Ten when he commented on hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau’s haircut. He said he could not recognize the 33-year-old, who is of Tongan heritage, “with that short back and sides,” adding, “What happened to the golliwog haircut?”

The television station said Sunday that Bray had spoken to Polota-Nau about the incident and “Tatafu has assured Gordon he took no offense to the comments whatsoever.”

“In no way did Gordon intend to cause any harm with his comments and deeply regrets his remarks during last night’s broadcast,” Ten told Fox Sports.

Bray told the Sydney Morning Herald he used the term “in an affectionate manner” and it was not intended to be offensive.

“I know the guy, I have great respect for him. When he played at Suncorp Stadium [last year] he had that massive hair and so I was saying it was hard to recognize him with the new haircut,” he added.

The broadcaster was slammed for his remarks on social media, with one Twitter commentator writing, “Such blatant racism & ignorance of Polynesian cultures is sad & disappointing.”

Another wrote: “Did the Aussie commentator... just use the term ‘golliwog haircut’? Just checking it is 2018.”