Denver
29-11-2016, 05:49 PM
www.digitalspy.com/tv/news/a815499/sky-sports-pundit-eric-bristow-sacked-football-sexual-abuse-comments/
Sky Sports has dropped Eric Bristow as a pundit, after the former darts star made hugely controversial comments about the victims of the English football sexual abuse scandal.
This month, more than 20 ex-footballers have waived their right to anonymity to come forward and make allegations of child sexual abuse by coaches.
"He was a contributor to our darts coverage in the past but we will not be using him in the future," a Sky spokesperson told The Guardian, confirming Bristow has been dropped from the channel.
Bristow – who took part in I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2012 – took to social media to voice his opinion on the developments, using a homophobic slur in one deleted tweet and also victim-blaming.
He called darts players "tough guys" and footballers "wimps" in tweets he has since deleted.
"Might be a looney, but if some football coach was touching me when I was a kid as I got older, I would have went back and sorted that **** out," he said on Twitter, before writing: "Sorry, meant paedo not ****.
"Bet the rugby boys are OK ha ha... U got to sought him out when U get older or don't look in the mirror. Glad I am a dart player, proper men."
His comments were widely criticised and condemned by other Twitter users including ex-Crewe forward Steve Walters, one of the footballers who has waived his anonymity and alleged he was sexually abused as a youth player.
Walters said he was "disgusted" by Bristow's remarks and accused him of having a "stone age mentality".
Bristow later attempted to justify his comments by claiming he was only telling "the truth".
Sky Sports has dropped Eric Bristow as a pundit, after the former darts star made hugely controversial comments about the victims of the English football sexual abuse scandal.
This month, more than 20 ex-footballers have waived their right to anonymity to come forward and make allegations of child sexual abuse by coaches.
"He was a contributor to our darts coverage in the past but we will not be using him in the future," a Sky spokesperson told The Guardian, confirming Bristow has been dropped from the channel.
Bristow – who took part in I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2012 – took to social media to voice his opinion on the developments, using a homophobic slur in one deleted tweet and also victim-blaming.
He called darts players "tough guys" and footballers "wimps" in tweets he has since deleted.
"Might be a looney, but if some football coach was touching me when I was a kid as I got older, I would have went back and sorted that **** out," he said on Twitter, before writing: "Sorry, meant paedo not ****.
"Bet the rugby boys are OK ha ha... U got to sought him out when U get older or don't look in the mirror. Glad I am a dart player, proper men."
His comments were widely criticised and condemned by other Twitter users including ex-Crewe forward Steve Walters, one of the footballers who has waived his anonymity and alleged he was sexually abused as a youth player.
Walters said he was "disgusted" by Bristow's remarks and accused him of having a "stone age mentality".
Bristow later attempted to justify his comments by claiming he was only telling "the truth".