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'Say it to my face': Sam Newman takes aim at AFL star Patrick Dangerfield

Controversial Footy Show panellist Sam Newman continues to shower himself in glory, this time taking aim at Brownlow Medal favourite and Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield.

Newman's latest meander into controversial headlines began last week when he made a series of ill-considered remarks about transgender celebrity Caitlyn Jenner. 

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Sam Newman takes aim Patrick Dangerfield

After apologising for his remarks about Caitlyn Jenner last week, Sam Newman told the Brownlow medalist that if he has any critism about him, he should 'Say it to my face' .

"I know who he... it is. I do," he said on the show when asked if he knew who Jenner is.

"Oh well, what is she? Is it a 'he' or a 'she'? Still got the bloody..." at which point host Rebecca Maddern interrupted saying "He is a she now".

The remarks elicited a flurry of angry tweets including from the wife of Western Bulldogs' Liam Picken, Annie Nolan, who called out the show and Newman for the transphobic remarks.

But it was Dangerfield, appearing on KIIS FM, who had the strongest rebuke for Newman, describing him as "irrelevant" and urging viewers to "use your remote" to send a message to the Nine Network.

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"From my point of view, I just think he's irrelevant," he said.

"The show itself, apart from Bec, who's wonderful — I haven't watched it for a while and I thought Sam was well off the mark, well out of line.

"But it's been a history, it's been something that's been happening for such a long period of time."

He also took a swipe at the show's ratings and called into question whether it could survive in the face of continued controversy.

"Nine continues to run with it because it continues to rate. But it hasn't rated as well so I think it will be interesting come the end of the season."

The furore forced Newman to apologise the next day saying he "regretted" the comments.

But despite his regret, Newman wasn't done with the saga yet. On this week's show, he delivered a stunning piece to camera urging Dangerfield to make the comments to his face, rather than on radio.

"If you want to have a go at me or say something to me, come and sit on that desk there and do it to my face," he said on the show.

He also accused Dangerfield of being sexist and ageist.

"Pat, please, if you're going to have a go at me for not understanding the era of political correctness we live in, don't call me old. I don't mind if you call me old but that is an ageist comment and it reflects badly on people in the workforce who are my age," he said.

"You said the only person you watch the show for is this woman here (Maddern). That is sexist in itself.

"Let's be consistent, instead of coming on here like a perfume dwarf and thinking that if you act like a ventriloquist's dummy that will cut the mustard here, it won't."

Newman has been a controversial figure on The Footy Show for almost two decades, beginning in 1999 where he blackened his face in an impersonation of indigenous player Nicky Winmar.

​The scandals continued in 2008 when he mocked football writer Caroline Wilson for how she dressed, and in 2009 he was found to have provoked severe ridicule on the basis of a man's colour and race after he likened a Malaysian man to a monkey.

Originally published on smh.com.au as ''Say it to my face': Sam Newman takes aim at AFL star Patrick Dangerfield'.