Veteran Australian rugby commentator Gordon Bray has come under fire after describing Australian player Tatafu Polota-Nau as having a "golliwog haircut" during the Bledisloe Cup Test in Sydney yesterday.
Bray used the term "golliwog" to refer to the Wallabies hooker's hairstyle as part of the Ten commentary team at ANZ Stadium.
He told Fairfax Media his choice of words was poor.
"It was made in an affectionate manner and it was not intended to be offensive in any way," he said.
"It was something I said on the spur of the moment. I almost didn't recognise him with the short back and sides do and the inference was that it had been very fuzzy. Probably if I'd said what happened to his 'fuzzy-wuzzy' haircut that would have been more appropriate."
The term "golliwog" is a reference to Golliwog dolls, a toy made popular in US and Australia in the 1970s, characterised by black skin, clown lips and frizzy hair, and is said to be a racist depiction of black people.
"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 recognise him with the new haircut," Mr Bray said.
Bray, who has been a rugby broadcaster for over 40 years, received a substantial amount of backlash on social media.
One twitter user said, "So shocked. Astounded to hear the word "golliwog" in 2018 said out loud on a national television network ...(I apologise for using it here)... other than to question how this is possible???"
Earlier this year, an indigenous rights advocate said Golliwog dolls were deeply offensive racist symbols and asked for them to be taken off the shelf nationwide in Australia.
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