CHANNEL Nine has apologised to Western Bulldogs director Susan Alberti and will pay her $220,000 over defamatory remarks made about her on The Footy Show.

Dr Alberti was one of five female AFL club directors co-host Sam Newman described as "liars and hypocrites" after they wrote a letter of complaint to Channel Nine about a skit in which Newman groped a lingerie-clad mannequin which had a picture of The Age's chief football writer, Caroline Wilson, stapled to it.

The women were branded liars because they had included Collingwood board member Sally Capp as a signatory to the letter despite Garry Lyon claiming she did not want to be part of it.

Newman said female board members "served little purpose", and Lyon singled out Dr Alberti for buying two tables in the audience for The Footy Show, in remarks that she said implied she was a hypocrite.

The apology was read to the court by Jeremy Ruskin, QC, for Nine, on behalf of the network’s executive director, Jeff Browne.

It said: ‘‘On The Footy Show on 1 May 2008 it was not our intention to impute that you were a liar. If that impression was given it is withdrawn and Channel Nine sincerely apologises to you if you suffered any hurt or distress.

‘‘Likewise it was not our intention to demean your valuable contribution as a board member of the Western Bulldogs. If this impression was given it is withdrawn and Channel Nine sincerely apologises to you if you suffered any hurt or distress.’’

The settlement came as a trial was due to begin in the Supreme Court this morning.