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I don't know if you've been following the ECB's (English Cricket Board's) hearing into racism at Yorkshire CCC but quite a lot of it seems to be down to a number of the accused using the phrase 'you lot' in a racist way.
Michael Vaughn for instance is accused of saying "There's too many of you lot, we need to do something about it" to a group of four black players.
Just to muddy the waters somewhat the man who brought the initial complaint of racism, Azeem Rafiq has given sworn testimony to what he said he heard - and it turns out that in different statements that the phrase is contradicted.
The only bit of consistency in the phrase is 'There's too many of you lot'.
There also seems to be a massive back story to this that includes former players refusing to act as witnesses for the ECB by not making themselves contactable, strong implied suggestion by Vaughn's barrister that the main witness supporting Rafiq's claim (and one of the four black players the alleged comment by Vaughn was said to, Adil Rashid), is being blackmailed by Rafiq to say that Vaughn said it, and one of the four black players stating he never heard Vaugh say it at all!!!
Leaving all that aside, how can you prove that saying 'you lot' is racist?
I've said 'you lot' from time to time, but never in a racist way, I'm sure most of us have said it, or similar, in a non racist way too.
The hearing is investigating a number of former Yorkshire players and coaches who Rashid has accused - most of whom refuse to take part in the hearing because they believe they are going to get stitched up.
Already a number of them have won Unfair Dismissal Claims in respect of their sackings by Yorkshire CCC following Rafiq's initial claim of racism - and to top it all off Rafiq himself has had to apologise of posting antisemitic racist comments on social media in his past.
To be honest it is all looking like a big mess.
Was there racism at Yorkshire CCC possibly, even probably, part of the hearing is about South African players and coaches at YCCC using South African racial slurs.
Would that be unique to just YCCC - I very much doubt it.
Does that mean all cricket clubs with South African players or coaches are racist - of course it doesn't.
Did Vaughan say 'you lot', he claims he didn't - but the event took place several years back - how can he be sure either way if he did or he didn't?
The alleged event took place just as Yorkshire was about to take the field for a match.
It seems likely that Vaughn may well have done to a group of four mates who happened to be black, to take the field.
He might even have said the same thing to a group of four mates who happened to be white too!
I don't know if Vaughn said it or not and if he did whether it was said innocently or in a racist way.
I don't know how cricket hearings work but I don't think you can prove one way or another that anything was said - Vaughn's word against three of the group of four - and if it was what he said, whether it was intended as a racist remark - indeed some of the group seem to accept that it was simply said as an attempt of humour more than malice.
It does all have a whiff of it being some sort of a 'show trial' to me.
Michael Vaughn for instance is accused of saying "There's too many of you lot, we need to do something about it" to a group of four black players.
Just to muddy the waters somewhat the man who brought the initial complaint of racism, Azeem Rafiq has given sworn testimony to what he said he heard - and it turns out that in different statements that the phrase is contradicted.
The only bit of consistency in the phrase is 'There's too many of you lot'.
There also seems to be a massive back story to this that includes former players refusing to act as witnesses for the ECB by not making themselves contactable, strong implied suggestion by Vaughn's barrister that the main witness supporting Rafiq's claim (and one of the four black players the alleged comment by Vaughn was said to, Adil Rashid), is being blackmailed by Rafiq to say that Vaughn said it, and one of the four black players stating he never heard Vaugh say it at all!!!
Leaving all that aside, how can you prove that saying 'you lot' is racist?
I've said 'you lot' from time to time, but never in a racist way, I'm sure most of us have said it, or similar, in a non racist way too.
The hearing is investigating a number of former Yorkshire players and coaches who Rashid has accused - most of whom refuse to take part in the hearing because they believe they are going to get stitched up.
Already a number of them have won Unfair Dismissal Claims in respect of their sackings by Yorkshire CCC following Rafiq's initial claim of racism - and to top it all off Rafiq himself has had to apologise of posting antisemitic racist comments on social media in his past.
To be honest it is all looking like a big mess.
Was there racism at Yorkshire CCC possibly, even probably, part of the hearing is about South African players and coaches at YCCC using South African racial slurs.
Would that be unique to just YCCC - I very much doubt it.
Does that mean all cricket clubs with South African players or coaches are racist - of course it doesn't.
Did Vaughan say 'you lot', he claims he didn't - but the event took place several years back - how can he be sure either way if he did or he didn't?
The alleged event took place just as Yorkshire was about to take the field for a match.
It seems likely that Vaughn may well have done to a group of four mates who happened to be black, to take the field.
He might even have said the same thing to a group of four mates who happened to be white too!
I don't know if Vaughn said it or not and if he did whether it was said innocently or in a racist way.
I don't know how cricket hearings work but I don't think you can prove one way or another that anything was said - Vaughn's word against three of the group of four - and if it was what he said, whether it was intended as a racist remark - indeed some of the group seem to accept that it was simply said as an attempt of humour more than malice.
It does all have a whiff of it being some sort of a 'show trial' to me.
Last edited by Sluffy on Tue Mar 07 2023, 15:23; edited 1 time in total
