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Extracted from Nottinghamshire Live:
Nottinghamshire CCC have urged any current or former players who have encountered racism at the club to come forwards after being named in testimony by Azeem Rafiq.
The former Yorkshire spinner spoke in front of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee in parliament today as he implicated a number of clubs and players, including Alex Hales, in the ongoing scandal.
At one stage of his testimony, Rafiq was asked if he had been contacted by players connected to other clubs if they had faced similar discrimination.
Rafiq said: “I’ve had messages from people who have played at Leicestershire, a guy who played at Middlesex, messages from people who played at Nottinghamshire....
... In response, Notts this afternoon issued the following statement.
"We were saddened to hear the testimony from today’s DCMS Select Committee hearing," they said.
"No member of our playing or coaching staff has previously raised issues in relation to racism at our club. However, we acknowledge that – given the experiences recently being shared – individuals may not have felt comfortable in voicing their concerns in the past.
"We would now encourage anyone who wishes to share concerns or discuss their experiences to come forward and speak freely, either via the ICEC’s recent call for evidence or directly to the club...
...Asked by chair Julian Knight about the term ‘Kevin’, he said it was an offensive, racist term that reached the very top of the game.
“Kevin was a something Gary (Ballance) used to describe anyone of colour in a very derogatory manner. It was an open secret in the England dressing room,” he said.
"It is vital that individuals do so, so that the game of cricket can learn and move forward together."..
...Rafiq also alleged former England batter Alex Hales was involved.
He said: “Gary and Alex Hales got really close to each other when they played for England together. I wasn’t present in that dressing room, but what I understand (is) that Alex went on to name his dog ‘Kevin’ because it was black. It’s disgusting how much of a joke it was.”
This accusation aimed at Notts ccc needs clearing up . Lets hope any players ( and officials) who have felt uncomfortable at Trent Bridge come forward quickly so we all know what has , and what has not been said . To be honest I am really surprised that Notts have been dragged into this inquiry . Starting with Sir Garfield I have lost count of the number of black , Asian , ethnic players I have seen perform at TB over the years . I have never detected any animosity towards them . Will more accusations be made ? Who knows . But lets hope the Alex involvement is just an isolated case .
ReplyDeleteWhat do others think about about the way this matter seems to be escalating?
Is Alex"s dog going to be charged ?
ReplyDeleteSorry, I do not make light of racism. But my understanding of the law is that accusations have to be proved, not just made. Also that their is basic human right, up to UN Charter of Human Rights, that anyone accused has the right to defend themselves and must be given the opportunity to do so.
Several people, including one of our players, had serious allegations made against then on national TV in Parliament, DCMS Select Committee, with no right of reply, yesterday.
The dog hasn't even complained to the RSPCA about its name although the UN hasn't yet extended their statutes to canines.
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ReplyDeleteSorry for error, I mean there.
ReplyDeleteAlso legally, the right to sue for defamation exists. An accuser has to prove the allegation is true, in defamation cases.
Awful headlines in the mornings newspapers regarding racism at the heart of cricket . The basic fact is your reputation and career can vanish overnight. Everyone named has surely got to be given the proper right of reply.
ReplyDeleteLets hope the whole Sorry business doesn't drag on until the start of the 2022 cricket season . We still have the Pandemic to deal with and that could flare up again here ( UK) as it has done in many other Countries.
I think we could all do with a bit of good news !
Anyone know any?
Unfortunately mud sticks. Players reputations were tarnished as soon as Rafiq spoke their names, but Rafiq obviously has and has had some mental health problems - does this this make his own recollection of events questionable for its total accuracy?
ReplyDeleteThose accused by Rafiq have denied partly or in totality his version of the truth - they too should be given the right to give their version of the truth to the DCMS SC.
Murky waters indeed .
ReplyDeleteIf only I could remember with any clarity the things I said five, ten , or more years ago !.
Rafiq has obviously suffered abuse during his time earning a living from cricket- mainly it appears whilst employed by Yorkshire. What is the general feeling and reaction from the Yorkshire Members about all the various statements and allegations? Do their Members have a forum to express themselves , similar to this one?
What do the Yorkshire rank and file think about the situation ? Is there a feeling of sack everybody , have an almighty clear-out and start again from scratch?
Any Yorkshire Members read this site?
The "toxic culture" that Root and Bairstow have emerged as the players that they are today. There's a danger that any good stuff will be swept away along with the bad - throwing the baby out with the bath water! A strong Yorkshire = a strong England they say.
DeleteWe’ve seen with other scandals, savile , Hillsborough for example,it’s the cover up job that makes things worse. But yes it would be interesting to see Yorkshire members thoughts.
ReplyDeletePlease help. What do I now as my name is Steve, now that Azeem Rafiq has deemed that Steve too is a racial term of abuse. Surely if a name is used in friendship rather than with malice then it is ok.
ReplyDeleteIf a younger Jack Brooks couldn't get his tongue around Pujara's first name of Cheteshwar then Steve is certainly less racially loaded than opting for calling him something stereotypical and easier to say but Indian, like Ravi for example. We are all aware that Notts players continued the calling of Pujara Steve in his time at Trent Bridge, as did those commentating. There were no racial connotations then.
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DeleteIs that the same hypocritical Azeem Rafiq caught with his pants down today over a 10 year old tweet that was racist? 84% of Azeem Rafiq claims have already been declared "unfounded" by the original panel. Why is this guy being given so much credance?
DeleteAnswer - guilt on the part of those that are being drawn has being bullies, using racially loaded language, by today's expectations of behaviour.
Looking at todays news headlines it appears that all the sympathy Rafiq generated a few days ago is evaporating .
ReplyDeletePeople in glass houses etc
He admits to sending crude tweets and texts about our Jewish friends. They are proven and available for all to see . So the question is this - is his own alleged racism any better or worse than that attributed to Vaughan , Balance, Lloyd , Hales etc ?
You have to be so careful these days making accusations . Past comments you made in different times , and in more youthful years can easily now be unearthed and come back to bite you.
The waters are now muddied even more.
The curse of Social Media alas- once something is said in remains said, somewhere! If you're a public figure, as cricketers now appear to be (whilst the media want to give 'em a kicking), any historic comment, said in whatever context, can potentially comeback and bite you.
DeleteI think we all realised that Alex was prone to laddish behaviour, right from his early days at Trent Bridge. Dressing up as a controversial, American rapper probably falls in that laddish behaviour bracket. Supporting or mocking an individual by dressing-up as them ought not to have any racial connotations. Many a white child dressed-up as Michael Jackson, back in the day before Michael Jackson became more than a bit dodgey; were they all racially motivated? Dressing-up as an individual is all about the celebrity, not their whole race. Not all black people are American, are a rapper, are a convicted sex offender, are an equal rights campaigner or are dead (yes I googled Tupac's career highlights). So why are the Sun telling the public that they should be offended by Alex Hales dressing-up as Tupac Shakur? Who released the " ancient archived" photo to the Sun ?- no friend of Alex, no friend of Nottinghamshire CCC, no friend of English cricket nor anyone with any commonsense - just someone hellbent on "blackening" Alex Hales' name further. [apologies to anyone offended by that verb]. Alex last played for England in 2019 (it seems much longer ago), but if cricket survives the winter, I can't see Alex getting the deserved recall any time in this century.
If anything has been learnt in this sad week, it is that none of us are perfect.
ReplyDeleteAs for our good friends in Yorkshire, I think time for some compassion and forgiveness for Gary, Andrew and Martyn.
"Let he who is blameless cast the first stone."