Former England skipper Michael Vaughan was named in the 2009 Yorkshire Racism scandal by former player Azeem Rafiq two years ago. The English Cricket Board is currently investigating the matter.
Meanwhile, Vaughan was spotted doing commentary for BBC Radio 5 during the third Test between England and New Zealand on day five at Headingley, which has infuriated the in-house diversity group at BBC, who have sent an email to the staff against the decision to employ the 47-year-old for doing commentary.
The Ashes-winning captain of 2005 played for Yorkshire for 16 years and was banned by BBC last year as there were allegations against him in the 2009 racism scandal. Vaughan has repeatedly denied the charges despite being investigated by ECB. A diversity group, consisting of a Black, Asian, and a minority ethnic group, believe that the decision to allow Vaughan to commentate was “totally inexcusable”.
“With Michael Vaughan implicated in this scandal and now understood to be charged by the ECB, it feels totally inexcusable that he should continue to appear as a representative of BBC Sport. The depth of feeling and outpouring of emotion towards this decision is excruciating, overwhelming, and unbearable. Colleagues from all backgrounds from across the BBC have been in touch to share their disbelief and dismay, with some moved to tears because of the apparent lack of empathy, understanding, and leadership over this,” the BBC Diversity group wrote, according to the Guardian.
Rafiq took the English cricket by storm when he revealed the racism scandal at Yorkshire club. He alleged Vaughan and a few other players of being involved in racial harassment and bullying. ECB then launched an investigation into the matter and banned Yorkshire club from hosting any domestic matches.
The board also forced the team to make necessary changes in the staff and management and is now investigating the players involved. The diversity group stated that they are “tired” of having this discussion over and over again and reckoned that this issue needs to be acknowledged.
“This really is a shocking miscalculation. We are exhausted. We are tired. We are fed up with having the same discussions and reliving the same trauma. The small steps forward we make to try and build greater inclusivity and understanding are totally undone by decisions like this and that really needs to be acknowledged,” the BBC Diversity Group concluded.
