When a BT Sport commentator referred to “rug munchers” during a live rugby union game, the programme’s executive producer thought it was a reference to players whose heads are pushed into the grass.
But media regulator Ofcom become involved after a viewer complained about the phrase, a generally well-known (except in BT Sport) and offensive synonym for lesbians.
Ofcom said Simon Ward’s comment, during a European Rugby Challenge Cup match between the Newcastle Falcons and Newport Gwent Dragons, could not be justified by the context.
The broadcaster was spared any punishment because it broadcast an apology during the game on 17 January this year.
Ward was responding to a remark by his co-commentator Colin Charvis referring to some of the players as “vegetables”.
Ward said: “Mickey Skinner [former England rugby union player] used to say something about rug-munchers but we’ll stick with vegetables – I’m sure that’s a lot more polite.”
Ofcom said it had no problem with the use of the word “vegetables”, which BT said was part of the “irreverent sparring” of rugby culture reflecting rugby forwards’ view of backs as “merely standing around contributing little to the team”.
But on “rug-munchers” the regulator said “many viewers would have understood the word to be a derogatory reference to lesbians and therefore potentially offensive”.
BT said it regretted not broadcasting an immediate apology after the comment but the programme’s executive producer had not understood what it referred to.
The executive producer’s initial view was that the use of the phrase related to a description when players’ heads in rucks or collapsed scrums are pushed into the grass, leaving them ‘munching’ the turf, where ‘rug’ equates to the pitch.
BT Sport said the use of the word was “completely unexpected and not widely known or used, especially in the context of a rugby match” because “this offensive term is used towards women”.
The producer later looked to clarify what had been said and, when told what it referred to, asked Ward to make an apology which aired seven minutes later.
Ofcom, in its ruling published on Monday, said BT Sport’s on-air apology and explanation meant it now considered the matter resolved.
An Ofcom spokesman said: “Ofcom carefully investigated a complaint about the use of offensive language by one of the commentators to describe the players.
“BT Sport accepted that the use of the language had been unacceptable, but explained that the commentator had been unaware of this at the time and broadcast an apology shortly afterwards. We therefore considered the matter resolved.”
