The scandal involving Azeem Rafiq and the Yorkshire Cricket Club shook English cricket to its core and led to numerous changes in coaching and administrative personnel at the club. (Courtesy: AP)England’s Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) reprimanded five players including ex-Yorkshire spinner Azeem Rafiq and former head coach Andrew Gale for their historical social media posts, the country’s cricket board (ECB) said in a statement released.
Rafiq, who made headlines last year after speaking up against the racism he faced in Yorkshire, made an apology for his use of anti-Semitic language in a Facebook exchange from 2011.
Gale, on the other hand, was handed a suspension by the club in November for a tweet in 2010. Gale, who was the then Yorkshire captain, was guilty of using an anti-Semitic slur in his tweet. He claimed that he was “completely unaware” of the offensive nature of the term at the time.
England batter Danni Wyatt, Somerset fast bowler Jack Brooks and Birmingham Phoenix’s Eve Jones have also been reprimanded.
“The CDC has today published its decisions in relation to charges brought by the ECB against five former and current professional cricketers,” the ECB statement read on Monday.
“Each of Jack Brooks, Andrew Gale, Evelyn Jones, Azeem Rafiq and Danielle Wyatt admitted their breach of ECB Directive 3.3.”
BREAKING NEWS: The ECB have announced that five current and former players have been officially reprimanded for historical social media posts which the Cricket Discipline Commission have found to be racist. pic.twitter.com/OFpXN2kXhW
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 10, 2022
Responding to ECB, Rafiq said admitted of his guilt and said that he was embarrassed.
“You will hear no complaint from me about the CDC’s decision today. It is deserved and I fully accept this reprimand. I want to repeat my apology to the Jewish community,” the 31-year-old wrote on Twitter.
My response to the CDC decision below ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/QBAvkVhgG1
— Azeem Rafiq (@AzeemRafiq30) October 10, 2022
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“I hope I have demonstrated over the past 10-11 months that I am trying to educate myself about the horrors and prejudice the Jewish community has historically.”