Azeem Rafiq

[cromwell]

Has complained about Yorkshire Cricket Club being institutionally racist. I don't know about racism but there are any number of stories going back many years that it has never been a particularly happy club.
Favourite one is about Steve "Bumpy" Rhodes,a wicketkeeper who moved from Yorkshire to Worcestershire in the mid 80's. When interviewed by a press man Rhodes was reported as saying "Everybody is so nice down here!" in a surprised but happy manner.
What does that say about where he came from?

[TheOstrich]

it has never been a particularly happy club ....

Geoffrey Boycott's legacy?

[cromwell]

Partly Os, but it goes back even further than that. Raymond Illingworth being reduced to tears by Len Hutton, Johnny Wardle being sacked by Yorkshire, Fred Trueman being called a bastard by a committee man, Brian Close being given 40 minutes to clear his locker and get out after more than 20 years service. It's a long list.

[cromwell]

Bumping this after a year.
I never thought it would come out like this.
It's pretty indisputable that Rafiq was treated badly. Being racially abused and bullied have been pretty well proved, I think.
It's no defence but some of those accused probably thought it was just manly matey banter; others come across as being plain nasty.
Rafiq does come across as a man on a mission though. Some people are going to see their careers finished because of this. It looks bad for Michael Vaughan and it's more or less curtains for Martyn Moxon.
If it all leads to a better and fairer dressing room then fair enough; but there's going to be a lot of blood on the carpet before that happens.

[Workingman]

I switch off from most of these delayed accusation stories, sometimes from years ago.

Rafiq's case was one such till about 15 months ago when it burst out into the public domain. If he was so badly abused and suicidal, as he now claims, why did he not make a formal, written, complaint at the time? That would be on record. Any reply from Yorkshire would also be written and on record.

If no action was taken Rafiq could have used the same process with the England and Wales Cricket Board. If there was still no action he could have gone to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, his MP or employed a lawyer.

I am not defending Yorkshire or racism, but I do question Rafiq's motive.

[cromwell]

You're like MrsC WM, she thinks he's out to throw people under the bus.
Anyhow, apparently Rafiq has sent some racist emails himself, anti semitic ones.
Hoist by his own petard, perhaps.

[TheOstrich]

Anyhow, apparently Rafiq has sent some racist emails himself, anti semitic ones.
Hoist by his own petard, perhaps.

Completely undermined himself, in my book. He has made fulsome apologies now, but he has effectively shot himself in the foot. Not exactly the righteous man, then.
And perhaps, if we accept that he is "a man on a mission", that is no bad thing in the long run.