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NRL 360 presenter Paul Kent confronts the journalist who has been making outrageous claims about him from the safety of his keyboard, as the 2GB presenter says the way he treated the troll was brutal.
- Journalists attended the KAYO NRL season launch
- Kent had a confrontation with the journalist from The Roar
- Witnesses say the altercation turned physical
Radio personality James Willis has applauded prominent rugby league commentator Paul Kent for ‘pinning the front of the shirt’ at another journalist at an NRL season launch event this week, accusing the other journalist of troll
Kent, a senior journalist for News Corp and co-host of the Fox Sports NRL program NRL 360 has been accused of assaulting The Roar journalist Mike Meehall Wood at a season launch in Sydney.
2GB executive producer and Sports Update host Willis said Kent dressed Wood at KAYO’s season launch event before dragging him outside.
It comes after sustained social media attacks directed at Kent by The Roar journalist in recent years.
News Corp journalist Paul Kent on the set of the Fox Sports rugby league show NRL 360
“The rumor mill has been in overdrive on this, a lot of rugby league journalists are talking about the launch, KAYO Sports had their launch on Wednesday,” he said.
‘The story first appeared in the [Sydney Morning] Herald CBD, an ugly altercation between Fox’s well-known Paul Kent and little-known The Roar website scribe Mike Meehall Wood.
“According to the Herald, they came face to face, there was a shouting match before Kent, shirt-front, Wood and dragged him outside.”
Willis, speaking to co-host Ben Fordham, later called out Wood for his sustained attacks on Kent on social media.
‘Ben, I have to say from personal experience that 99 per cent of journalists in rugby league are good guys,’ he said.
“From my point of view, Mr. Wood from The Roar is not one of them and has been pestering Paul Kent with jokes such as calling Kent a hanger-on, a street journalist, accusing him of racism, whistling dogs and saying he doesn’t know nothing about rugby league.
“So with all the trolls, they’re happy to put those things down, but when they go toe to toe, good on Paul Kent for standing up for himself.”
‘I have given [Mike Meehall Wood] More publicity than it deserves.
Journalist Adam Peacock was also at the event, but was upstairs interviewing Mal Meninga at the time.
He told Footy Talk – Rugby League Podcast that the altercation was not physical.
“It wasn’t physical, it was purely two guys having an opinion about each other in each other’s faces,” he said.
Kent was direct when approached by the Herald for comment.
‘I don’t want to talk about it… just watch what he says.’
Wood has not commented on the incident.
more to come