"'TV host advises on rules' - that's categorically incorrect. I did not advise anybody, I was not consulted."
Host of Channel 10 nightly news panel show The Project, Waleed Aly, joined Gerard Whateley on SEN's Whateley today to discuss news reports that he has advised the AFL on rule changes.
Aly explained that through his friendship with AFLW CEO Nicole Livingstone, an opportunity to be briefed on the AFL's ongoing research into congestion and game-style came up.
"I work at Channel 10 on a show called The Project and Nicole Livingstone, who's been a colleague of mine before... in the course of being on that show...off air... I was pressing her as any self-respecting broadcaster would do, about what exactly the AFL was planning.
"There's been a lot of talk about three or four things that the AFL was pretty solid on doing to the game to make some changes to the style of the game, but no one was really saying in public what they were. So I was pressing her for information.
"And credit to Nicole, she said 'I absolutely can't tell you that'.
"She then said, 'If you want, I can get you to a briefing and you can see what they're looking at, the analysis behind it, that sort of thing'.
"I responded, 'that would be amazing, but I don't want to impose'. She said, 'I'll send Steve Hocking an email.'
"The offer came, they said 'ok they'd be happy to sit down with you and brief you on the research they've done'.
Aly explained the professional justification for taking up the offer.
"I work pretty hard at [sport analysis] because you've gotta be across all sports [as a broadcaster] and it takes a lot of work. Any opportunity you get to get an insight into what's actually going on, you take.
"I kind of felt, as a broadcaster, obliged to do that from a position of being informed rather than being in a position of being ignorant."
Aly told Whateley that he went in for the briefing three or four weeks ago, but did not do so under the guise of any committee.
Aly also denied offering any suggestions with regards to changing the rules of AFL.
Listen to the full interview with Waleed Aly below