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Sky Commentator Dropped After Abuse Comments

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30 November 2016

By Alex Khalil

In the last few weeks, a number of footballers have come forward with allegations that they were sexually assaulted by coach Barry Bennell from young ages. While this is harrowing enough, a now jobless Sky Sports commentator has made things decidedly worse.

Ex-darts champion Eric Bristow was promptly dropped from his role as commentator after a series of tweets, sharing his ill-timed and frankly offensive opinion on the current situation.

The 59-year-old had been a regular contributor to the darts coverage shown on Sky Sports since the early 1990s, but Sky have said that they will no longer be affiliated with him.

A Sky spokesperson said “He was a contributor to our darts coverage in the past but we will not be using him in the future.”

Bristow suggested that darts players, middle-aged, balding men for the most part, are “tough guys”. Yes, it must be all the hours you put into that one-arm action and your inexplicable taste for the cheapest lager at the pub down from the tournament that makes you tougher.

He also added that the victims shouldn’t be able to look at themselves because they didn’t “get their own back” on their abusers.

As if abuse is something you can one up someone on.

He has since deleted the tweets but has yet to issue any other statement or apology for being so callous.

Duncan Craig, who is chief executive of the charity Survivors Manchester, said that his comments were “absolutely appalling.”

He also said:

“The reason many men don’t speak out is because they feel less of a man, feel judged, [and] feel ashamed. Bristow is perpetuating those myths to his 93,000 followers – that’s why I’m taking such a strong stance.”

This recent breakthrough in abuse cases could be on the same scale as the Jimmy Savile cases.

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