'Bloody oath' complaint won't proceed

Photo / Dean Purcell

When All Blacks great Sir Colin Meads said "bloody oath" in a television advert, J McSweeney took exception.

Meads' oath came in reply to a question from fellow All Black legend Buck Shelford who said "Pinetree, rugby is not what it used to be eh?"

"Bloody oath it isn't," Meads replies in the advertisement for No8.co.nz, a website "for true rugby fans".

The advertisement was screened on TV3 at 6.30pm, and J McSweeney said they objected to the use of a swear word, and that young children should not have to hear that type of language from a such a high profile person.

The complainant took their concerns to the Advertising Standards Authority which has decided there are no grounds to proceed.

The authority took into account that the word "bloody" had rated very low in the most recent Broadcasting Standards Authority survey of "acceptability of words on radio and television", which was a useful guide in the acceptability of the term in society.

Although distasteful to the complainant, the words "bloody oath' in the context of the advertisement did not meet the threshold to cause serious or widespread offence.

- NZPA