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Andre Gray charged with misconduct by FA over homophobic tweets from 2012 Andre Gray charged with misconduct by FA over homophobic tweets from 2012
(about 1 hour later)
The Burnley striker Andre Gray has been charged with misconduct in respect of homophobic social media comments made between 9 January 2012 and 11 March 11 2012, the Football Association has announced. Andre Gray, Burnley’s principal striker, has until 6pm next Wednesday to respond to a misconduct charge issued by the Football Association relating to homophobic, sexist and racist tweets from 2012. Should the charge be upheld, Gray could be suspended and/or fined.
A statement on the FA’s website read: “It is alleged the comments were abusive and/or insulting and/or improper and/or brought the game into disrepute contrary to FA Rule E3(1). One tweet from the 25-year-old forward, then playing for non-league Hinckley Town, appeared to condone the killing of gay people but Gray has since apologised, claiming he is now a different person to the one who posted the messages four years ago.
“It is further alleged that these breaches include reference to an ‘aggravating factor’, namely, sexual orientation and/or gender and/or colour and/or race contrary to FA Rule E3(2).” “Thankfully I am not the guy I was back then,” he said in a statement but it remains to be seen whether the FA will regard the combination of apology and suggestion he is a changed man as mitigating factors in this case. In June Chris Stokes, the Coventry defender, received a one-match FA ban for making a homophobic comment on Twitter. Stokes used the term “faggots” on 2 May during Chelsea’s Premier League match with Tottenham, before later removing it and apologising. He subsequently admitted breaching FA rules relating to the use of social media and, in addition to the ban, was ordered to attend an FA education course, fined £1,000 and warned as to his future conduct.
Gray has since apologised for the tweets written in 2012 when Gray played for non-league Hinckley United. One of them read: “Is it me or are there gays everywhere? #Burn #Die #Makesmesick.” That tweet, and others containing similar terms, were deleted on Saturday, soon after they started re-circulating online. Gray’s posts re-emerged last Saturday and hit the headlines as he scored against Liverpool to help give Burnley a 2-0 win at Turf Moor. One tweet read: “Is it me or are there gays everywhere? #Burn #Die #Makesmesick.”
Gray has until 6pm on Wednesday 31 August 2016 to respond to the charge. Burnley were quick to help him draft that apology. “Firstly, I want to offer a sincere and unreserved apology to anybody I may have offended in relation to these tweets,” it read. “The tweets were posted four years ago when I was a completely different person to the man I am now. I was at a very different point in my life back then – one that I’ve worked hard to move on from.
Responding to the fierce criticism he received online, the 25-year-old – who scored Burnley’s second goal against Liverpool on Saturday – issued a statement, writing: “First I want to offer a sincere and unreserved apology to anybody I may have offended in relation to these tweets. The tweets were posted four years ago when I was a completely different person to the man I am now. “Thankfully a lot has changed in my life since then. I have experienced a lot over the past four years and have had to take responsibility for a number of things in my life which has enabled me to mature and grow as a person since that time.
“I was at a very different point in my life back then – one that I’ve worked hard to move on from … I have experienced a lot over the past four years and have had to take responsibility for a number of things in my life which has enabled me to mature and grow as a person.” “I have a lot of regrets regarding a number of things I’ve done in the past and realise I have made some big mistakes, none more so than these tweets, but I would like to stress that I’ve worked incredibly hard to completely transform my life since that time.
He added: “I realise I have made some big mistakes, none more so than these tweets, but I would like to stress that I’ve worked incredibly hard to completely transform my life since that time. To clarify, I do not hold the beliefs written in those tweets whatsoever. “To clarify, I do not hold the beliefs written in those tweets whatsoever. I can assure everybody that I am absolutely not homophobic and as said previously I can only apologise and ask for forgiveness to anyone I offended. Thankfully I am not the guy I was back then and will continue to work hard both on and off the pitch to become a better person.”
“I can assure everybody that I am absolutely not homophobic, and as said previously I can only apologise and ask for forgiveness to anyone I offended. Thankfully I am not the guy I was back then and will continue to work hard both on and off the pitch to become a better person.” A statement from Burnley said the club “do not condone any discriminatory behaviour by any employee”. It added: “As Andre has made clear in a statement on his personal account, these are social posts from four years ago, and in this time he has completely transformed his life. The player has also apologised and denied he is, in any way, shape or form, homophobic.”