Disgraced duo return to broadcasting

SPORTS radio station TalkSport will welcome ex-Sky Sports presenters Richard Keys and Andy Gray back to broadcasting on Valentine’s Day.  The disgraced duo left BSkyB less than three weeks ago, following the sexism football row which dominated the national headlines. 

BACK: Richard Keys and Andy Gray return to broadcasting next week

Gray was sacked after being caught making off-air sexist jibes to female presenter Charlotte Jackson, and making offensive comments about the appointment of female line official Sian Massey for the televised Wolves v Liverpool match on January 22.  Keys resigned 24 hours later after his close friend lost his job, after also making offensive comments off-air about Massey and the chief executive of West Ham United, Karen Brady.  Before his departure, he went on the airwaves to speak exclusively to TalkSport about the scandal, because he trusted their integrity.  Now, from Monday morning, between 10am and 1pm – the pair will be reunited to front a daily weekday show on the football events around the world. 

TalkSport saw an opportunity to poach the pair, once negotiations with Al-Jazeera had stalled.  When asked by the media about the appointments, the programme director for TalkSport Baz Dee seemed delighted with the new acquisitions; “Andy and Richard are iconic broadcasters with massive TV careers and I know that will have an impact on national radio.”

It won’t be the first time that Keys and Gray have worked on radio.  Richard started his distinguished career as a sports editor at Piccadilly Radio before landing the anchor role of Sky’s Premier League’s football coverage in 1992.  Before his departure, he had presented over 1,000 live televised games for the network, now in its 20^th year of established broadcasting.  Gray worked as a radio summariser for BBC Radio 5 Live at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. 

Whether the pair should have second chances in the media industry, especially after what was said remains open to debate.  However, it is bound to boost TalkSport’s ratings.

Keys says sorry, then resigns

THE sexism row in football took another twist yesterday, after Richard Keys resigned from his role as the main football presenter for Sky Sports.  Keys faced the cameras yesterday for the first time since he was caught off-camera making sexist jibes about women not understanding the offside rule.  He said sorry to those he offended, before heading to Sky offices in London to confirm his departure.

In a statement released by Sky Sports, he said; “I am deeply sorry for my remarks and the offence it has caused; it was wrong and it should never happened.  I have thought long and hard and reached the decision that it is time to move on.”

Keys long-time Sky partner in crime Andy Gray, was sacked on Tuesday after new video footage was released seeing the former Everton striker suggest that female presenter Charlotte Jackson should ‘tuck his shirt in’ during a rehearsal for a Monday Night Football game in December.  More YouTube footage appeared yesterday of Keys asking Sky pundit Jamie Redknapp whether he had “smashed it” with an ex-girlfriend.  This seems to have been the final straw for the Coventry City supporter, who has fronted Sky’s groundbreaking football coverage for the past two decades.

Yesterday, Gray also apologised in a statement through his lawyers and admitted he was “devastated by losing the job that I love.” 

The presenters downfall started when they were caught making off-air comments about female assistant Sian Massey not understanding the offside rule in the build-up to Saturday’s Sky lunchtime clash between Wolves and Liverpool.  West Ham chief executive Karen Brady was also a victim to the vulgar comments.  A tape was passed onto the Mail on Sunday and the storm began.  On Sunday, neither made an apology during the televised match between Blackburn Rovers and West Brom, which turned out to be the pair’s last appearance on Sky Sports.  On Monday, the pair was disciplined and suspended by Sky Sports managing director Barney Francis from presenting this week’s Monday Night Football clash involving Bolton Wanderers and Chelsea.  More footage was later released of Gray’s tirade at Massey with Sky reporter Andy Burton, who has also been suspended by Sky for his part in the scandal.  Andy Gray was sacked on Tuesday evening, after the third act of his comments about Charlotte Jackson leaked onto the internet.  Sian Massey, the innocent party in the sexism storm was withdrawn from her line official job at Tuesday’s League Two game at Crewe Alexandra and has been appointed to a Blue Square Premier match at the weekend.  She has tried to keep out of the public spotlight as best as she can, whilst the media continue to hound her.  Ironically, she made an outstanding call in the game at Molineux on Saturday; judging correctly that Raul Meireles had been played onside by Wolves full-back Ronald Zubar, which led to Liverpool’s first goal in a 3-0 victory. 

SORRY: Richard Keys on TalkSport yesterday (courtesy of TalkSport)

Richard Keys took to the airwaves on the sports talk radio show, TalkSport.  See below for some of what he had to say.

“I want to reiterate what I said to Sian Massey during the second half of the Blackburn v West Brom game, not as reported at 5pm on the Monday evening.  I rang on behalf of Andy and myself on Sunday afternoon.  I made an official apology, which Sian accepted.  She and I enjoyed some banter together and we left on very good terms.  I can’t tell you anymore about the conversation beyond saying she was in good spirits and I expressed my disappointment that Andy and I, misguided having some fun had got it wrong.  There is no excuse anywhere for anybody to make a judgement on someone’s else ability to do a job because they are male or female.  “I apologised on the Sunday.  Now, there are some dark forces at here.  I having done that asked whether we could make the public aware that we’d done that, we’d had a conversation and both parties felt it was right to move on.  I was told no and 24 hours passed.  By which time, the world had gone mad.  Now, I don’t know why I was told no, why I was told to stop people from telling them that’s what I had done and I remember saying this to Sian; Sian, I need to make this official.  On behalf of Andy and myself, we unreservedly apologise for our behaviour.  It was wrong.”

Listen to the first 15 minutes of the interview at; http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/audio/2011/jan/26/richard-keys-talksport-interview-audio

Hopefully his departure will bring an end to the embarrassment that Sky Sports has suffered over the past five days.  Can Sky’s football coverage stay strong without these two figureheads?  That remains to be seen.  However, both Richard Keys and Andy Gray have paid the price and rightly so.  There is absolutely no place in the world for these sexist comments, whether they were banter or not.  

Sky sack Andy Gray

ONE of the most highly acclaimed pundits in football, Andy Gray has been sacked by Sky Sports after a weekend of shameful and inappropriate behaviour.  The ex-Wolves and Everton striker, 55, had his contract terminated tonight after more video footage appeared of lurid behaviour by the Scot.  

Sky Sports managing director Barney Francis confirmed the decision in a statement; “Andy Gray’s contract has been terminated for unacceptable behaviour.  After issuing a warning, we have no hesitation in taking this action after being aware of new information.”  Gray had been a lynchpin of Sky’s football coverage alongside Richard Keys and Martin Tyler for the past 20 years.

Today, video emerged of Gray and Keys preparing for the presentation of their Monday Night Football programme between Manchester City and Everton on December 20.  In the incriminating clip, Gray is seen to make suggestive comments to female colleague Charlotte Jackson.  He asks Charlotte to “tuck his shirt in,” in reference to a microphone wire.  It was crude and Jackson seemed unamused.  Yesterday, Andy, along with Richard were suspended by Sky Sports from presenting the MNF clash between Bolton Wanderers and Chelsea after they were recorded off-air making sexist comments about females in football.  They were aimed at line official Sian Massey and West Ham chief executive Karen Brady.  The unprofessional pair claimed that women did not understand the offside rule, which Massey would then prove wrong to them, by making a brilliant decision in allowing Raul Meireles to play on and set-up Fernando Torres for Liverpool’s first goal in Saturday’s 3-0 win at Wolves.

More video was released yesterday, which showed Gray continuing his tirade at Massey during a conversation with Sky Sports reporter Andy Burton, who has also been suspended for his part in the exchange.  Richard Keys future is still unclear with the broadcaster, although he telephoned Massey on Sunday night to apologise for his part in the comments.  Massey has accepted and is keen to move on from the controversy, which might mean that Keys gets a second chance.  Gray hasn’t made any public apologies since the news broke on Sunday, which might have played a part in his downfall.  Some Journalism students at the University of Northampton think that the action on the pundit has been harsh. 

Shane Scanlon said; “I find it all quite funny actually.  I know if I was caught offside by a female official, I’d react the same way as if it was a male in charge.  A fine and a suspension would have been enough punishment.”  Tamika Short agreed with this view; “Everyone is allowed their own opinion at the end of the day.  Yes, they should have had their microphones off, but if they had turned it off, no harm would have been done.”

Gray isn’t the first pundit to lose his job in these circumstances.  In 2004, Ron Atkinson resigned from his role as co-commentator at ITV Sport after being caught making an off-air racist remark about French defender Marcel Desailly.  Sky Sports Rodney Marsh lost his job a year later, for making a sick joke on the Asian tsunami on Gillette Soccer Saturday.

DISGRACED: Andy Gray's broadcasting career looks to be at an end

As Sky Sports attempt to find a long-term replacement for Andy Gray, the Scot now surely has to think of an alternative career as it is unlikely that another corporation will employ him due to his high wage demands and now, his appalling behaviour.  It is a sad and sorry end to a distinguished career in football, but Andy Gray only has himself to blame and had to pay the consequences for this string of incidents.  

Gray and Keys suspended by Sky after sexist female jibes

BARRED: Neither Keys, nor Gray will present at the Sky MNF game tonight

RICHARD Keys and Andy Gray have been suspended today by Sky Sports, after being caught making sexist comments about women in football in an off-air sound recording.  The pair left their microphones on in a commercial break during the build-up to Saturday’s Sky lunchtime match at Molineux between Wolves and Liverpool.  They made sexist and offensive female jibes about line official Sian Massey, referee Wendy Toms and West Ham United chief executive Karen Brady. 

Although the public didn’t hear the comments, the recording was leaked to the Mail on Sunday yesterday and their fate was sealed.  Neither apologised or mentioned the incident during yesterday’s televised match at Ewood Park and although they apologised via Sky Sports yesterday, Sky has decided to drop them from presenting the Monday Night Football tonight between Bolton Wanderers and Chelsea.

SEE TRANSCRIPT BELOW OF THE ILL-FATED CONVERSATION

Richard Keys: Well, somebody better get down there and explain offside to her.

Andy Gray: Yeah, I know. Can you believe that?  Female linesman. Forget what I said – they probably don't know the offside rule.

RK: Course they don't.

AG: Why is there a female linesman?  Somebody's f##### up big.

RK: I can guarantee you there'll be a big one today. Kenny [Dalglish, Liverpool's manager] will go potty. This is not the first time. Didn't we have one before?

AG: Yeah.

RK: Wendy Toms.

AG: Wendy Toms, something like that.  She was f###### hopeless as well.

RK: [exasperated groan]

AG: [inaudible]

RK: No, no, it's got to be done, it's good.  The game's gone mad.  See charming Karen Brady this morning complaining about sexism?  Yeah.  Do me a favour, love.

Sky Sports managing director Barney Francis confirmed the suspension in a statement this afternoon.  “I have spoken directly this morning to both Richard Keys and Andy Gray this morning.  It has been made clear to each of them that their comments were totally unacceptable.  They are inexcusable from anyone by Sky, regardless of their role or seniority.  We have dealt with this matter by taking immediate disciplinary action.”

SPOT ON: Sian Massey officiating at the Sunderland v Blackpool game last month 

The female linesman who was at the centre of Keys and Gray’s remarks on women not understanding the offside rule was Sian Massey.  Massey, 25 was running the line at Wolves at the weekend, her second match in the top flight of English football.  Sian went onto embarrass the high-profile Sky presenters in the game, when she got a borderline offside decision spot on and allowed Raul Meireles to play on and set-up Fernando Torres for Liverpool’s first goal in a comfortable 3-0 victory.  She isn’t the first female in the game.  Last year, Amy Fearn took charge successfully of a Championship clash between Coventry City and Nottingham Forest, whilst Wendy Toms, also ridiculed by Keys and Gray has also excelled as a very successful match official in the past.  Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand is all for females being in the game.  On his Twitter account, he wrote; “What’s wrong with a woman being an official in a football game?  I’m cool with it.  All that counts is do they get the decisions right.”

Former referee Graham Poll ripped into Richard and Andy in his Daily Mail column today; “Andy Gray and Richard Keys clearly think that they are experts in all matters of football, and you only have to listen to their smug declarations to see that 20 years as Sky Sports ‘kingpins’ has done nothing to help their humility.  As a result, there will be few sympathetic callers.”

They aren’t the first to be caught having an off-mic moment.  Last year, Gordon Brown was caught called Gillian Duffy a ‘bigoted woman’ on a Sky News microphone following a stand-off in Rochdale during his doomed General Election campaign.  Back in April 2004, Ron Atkinson was forced to resign from his role as main commentator on ITV Sport, after being caught by Asian viewers making racist comments about French defender Marcel Desailly following Chelsea’s Champions League semi-final defeat to AS Monaco.

For me, sexism is just as bad as racism in football and I am disgusted with the behaviour of two such well-known presenters, who have led Sky Sports football coverage for the past two decades.  I am pleased to see Sky has taken strict action against Richard Keys and Andy Gray and hopefully, they will have learnt their lesson from this shameful tirade.