So ICYMI, last night cricketer Chris Gayle gave a solidly douchebro interview to Channel 10 sports journo and anchor Mel McLaughlin after hitting 41 from 15 balls during the Big Bash game, telling her:
In the initial aftermath, whoever was managing the TEN Sport Twitter account clearly thought the whole thing was a bit of laugh – you know, “Look at the cheeky devil, having a crack in the middle of an interview, huehuehue” kinda thing – because they fired off this (now deleted) tweet:
But since then, both Network Ten and the Big Bash League have distanced themselves from the comments, with Ten’s Mark “Howie” Howard issuing a live apology and assuring viewers that no such comments would be made in the future, and BBL’s head Anthony Everard calling Gayle’s comments “disrespectful and simply inappropriate.”
Statement re Chris Gayle on air comments tonight. pic.twitter.com/Zq6xn8fquW
— Anthony Everard (@BigBashLeagueHQ) January 4, 2016
Melbourne Renegades team skipper Aaron Finch said after the game that Chris had apologised to Mel, and that “as an organisation we don’t condone it. Between Chris and everyone else, they’ve addressed it… he’s apologised.”
I’m absolutely outraged that everyone’s so absolutely outraged by @henrygayle being a bit cheeky to a female TV reporter. #BBL05
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 4, 2016
And right now, that’s the only public comment Chris had made about the incidents thus far:
Here’s that interview again:
Chris Gayle post wicket interview with Mel McLaughlin. #BBL05 pic.twitter.com/pJBy9FuxCb
— Steve Allen (@ScubaStv) January 4, 2016
