Icon dragged into crisis engulfing English cricket

2 years ago 268

English cricket commentator David Lloyd has apologised aft racist substance messages were aired during Azeem Rafiq's grounds connected Tuesday.

Rafiq spoke astatine a British parliamentary proceeding today, wherever helium revealed that the long-time Sky Sports commentator had made remarks astir the interaction of Asian players connected nine culture.

"High-profile media radical messaging different members of the media who supported maine saying worldly like, 'The nine houses are the beingness humor of a nine and Asian players don't spell successful there', 'Getting subs retired of Asian players is similar getting humor retired of stone'," Rafiq said.

"And past personally this feline doesn't adjacent cognize me, has ne'er spent immoderate clip with me, is talking astir my idiosyncratic drinking, going retired and socialising.

"That was David Lloyd, he's been an England coach, commentator, and I recovered it disturbing due to the fact that Sky are supposedly doing this astonishing enactment connected bringing racism to the beforehand and wrong a week of maine speaking retired that's what I got sent to me."

Lloyd apologised for the remarks connected societal media a fewer hours later.

"In October 2020, I had a backstage connection speech with a 3rd enactment progressive successful cricket, astir a fig of topics," Lloyd said.

"In these messages, I referred to allegations astir Azeem Rafiq which I had heard from wrong the game. I besides made immoderate comments astir the Asian cricket community.

"I profoundly regret my actions, and I apologise astir sincerely to Azeem and to the Asian cricket assemblage for doing this, and for immoderate offence caused.

The 73-year-old's employer, Sky, issued a connection arsenic well.

"Sky is committed to actively championing inclusion successful cricket - and successful each sports - and opposing each forms of discrimination. We volition beryllium investigating the comments attributed to David Lloyd successful today's prime committee hearing."

A ceremonial probe was commissioned by Yorkshire cricket successful September 2020 into 43 allegations made by Rafiq regarding systemic racism wrong the sport, and astatine his club.

A fortnight ago, chairman Roger Hutton resigned amid the fallout from Rafiq's racism allegations against the English cricket club.

A week later, coach Andrew Gale was suspended implicit a tweet.

The club's manager of cricket, Martyn Moxon, has taken stress-related leave.

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