Stylish Football Presenter Reveals the Heartbreaking Impact of Being Quietly Excluded by Major TV Networks

Footy reporter Tiffany Salmond has shared that her ‘silent shut-out’ by television executives has been ‘devastating.’ She discussed the situation to address why she has been absent from TV screens for the past six months.

The New Zealand NRL presenter, who has freelanced for Fox Sports, RNZ, and Sky, told her Instagram followers last week that she suspects TV leaders have disregarded her because they considered her ‘too bold’ and ‘disruptive.’

Recently, Salmond has worked as a touchline correspondent, covering NRL games for the New Zealand Warriors.

In response to numerous fan inquiries about her absence this season, she clarified that stepping away from footy media was not her choice but rather that she was ‘sidelined,’ leaving her without any explanation.

On Tuesday, Salmond addressed more questions about why she has been absent from TV screens.

‘The truth is there was no incident. No mistake. No warning – just dropped and erased,’ Salmond wrote.

NRL presenter Tiffany Salmond (pictured) says she has been left feeling ‘devastated’ after she was ‘silently shut-out’ out by broadcasters  

The former Fox Sports star has not been seen on screens this season and many fans have been asking what happened  

She followed up on comments she shared in an Instagram video last week on her X account, explaining that she felt she has been snubbed from TV roles, ‘without reason’

‘I wasn’t let go because I failed. I was cut off while thriving, connecting, performing and being embraced by the audience.’ 

Salmond had previously expressed her thanks to her fans, revealing she had received a lot of heartfelt messages, both asking why she was no longer on their screens while also sending her messages of support.

‘There was nothing to fix, no feedback to apply, no bridge to mend.

‘And yes, people lose jobs every day but this was not that. This was not a restructure. Not a performance issue. Not a scandal or a clash behind the scenes.

‘It was a silent shut-out and it’s been devastating. Professionally, because I loved what I did. Personally, because I was never given a reason.

‘And while the speculation and gossip has been exhausting, the truth is simple: I was dismissed quietly. Without respect and without reason.’

The comments section on the post was filled with messages of support, with one writing: ‘Keep your chin up mate, one door closes so another one opens.’

‘You’ll bounce back,’ another wrote. ‘Sorry that happened to you. Your commentary was amazing.’

Salmond simultaneously took to Instagram to publish multiple statements opening up on the ‘pain’ of her situation

She added that the experience has been ‘incredibly isolating’ 

Salmond also took to Instagram to write: ‘I know I’ve always shown up smiling. I’ve kept it light, positive and intentionally composed. But the truth is, carrying all of this alone – without protection or support – has been one of the hardest, most devastating chapters of my life.

‘It’s been deeply painful. Incredibly isolating, and every day has been a quiet battle to not let it break me.’

She added: ‘What makes this particularly painful is knowing I didn’t just “lose a job” or miss out because I wasn’t good enough.

‘It’s knowing I was right for it. I had it. The connection, the performance, the audience support.

‘That clarity is what’s made the silence feel so cruel and misaligned. The pain isn’t about ego, it’s about injustice.’

In 2024, Salmond had found herself at the centre of a high-profile media couple’s split.

Fox Sports presenter Jake Duke was dumped by Seven reporter Grace Fitzgibbon after he reportedly received an unexpected call from Salmond early one morning in February last year. 

Salmond is understood to have told friends that she did not know Duke was in a relationship with Fitzgibbon at the time. 

The New Zealander worked as a touchline correspondent, covering Warriors matches

Salmond found herself in the middle of a high-profile split between fellow TV stars Grace Fitzgibbon (right) and Fox presenter Jake Duke (left)

Daily Mail Australia revealed that Fitzgibbon had been left ‘devastated and heartbroken’ after Duke, her boyfriend of three years, had reportedly received calls from Salmond.

She later moved out of Duke’s apartment in Sydney’s northern beaches, following an argument with the Fox Sports presenter.

Salmond had also blasted online criminals in May after they created a deepfake AI video using a picture of her wearing a bikini.

Last week, Salmond had explained she believed television chiefs had opted not to ‘evolve and make space for someone like her’ because of her personality.  

‘It’s been nearly a year since I was last on air,’ she said in a video published on her Instagram account, which has over 41,000 followers.

‘And I keep thinking surely the noise will die down and that you will all forget and will all move on. That’s how I knew with certainty that something was deeply, deeply wrong here. I know I don’t fit the traditional demand of what a TV presenter is supposed to be here but I think that’s the whole point?

‘Isn’t that why so many of you have been demanding my return? Because you could see something real in me, you could feel the authenticity through the screen.

Salmond has also worked for outlets including RNZ and Sky and has recently been living in Sydney 

‘I’m not any of those cliches, I’m all of it. And that’s confronting to a system that thrives on predictability and control.

‘So instead of evolving and instead of making space for someone like me they would rather remove the destruction altogether.

‘Because if someone like me can show up fully as herself and thrive, then the whole system has to shift.

‘I have proved that you can break the mold. That you can show up differently and be rewarded for it. While that’s exciting for a visionary – to the gatekeepers, it’s terrifying.’

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Salmond and Foxtel for comment.