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Should have stayed retired 
John Motson has personally contacted Millwall’s Tom Elliott after the long-serving football commentator was warned by his employer Talksport for describing the striker as “big, black and brave” during a live radio broadcast.
Motson, who last year retired from commentary for the BBC only to return with Talksport after a big-money offer, was involved in the racist controversy on Saturday during Millwall’s 1-0 victory over AFC Wimbledon in the FA Cup fifth round. During the match, Motson was heard describing 28-year-old English striker as “big, black and brave”, which remained on the Talksport website after the original live broadcast had finished.
The Daily Mail reports that Motson has now personally contacted Elliott to apologise for his racist slur and apologised for his remark that falls into a racial stereotype that has been highlighted as unacceptable within football punditry. The report adds that Talksport have reprimanded 73-year-old Motson over the incident but that no further action will be taken against the legendary broadcaster. A Talksport spokeman said: “We reviewed a live commentary by John Motson and decided to remove it from replay.
“Talksport and all of its broadcasters take such matters very seriously and would never wish to offend.”
John Motson has personally contacted Millwall’s Tom Elliott after the long-serving football commentator was warned by his employer Talksport for describing the striker as “big, black and brave” during a live radio broadcast.
Motson, who last year retired from commentary for the BBC only to return with Talksport after a big-money offer, was involved in the racist controversy on Saturday during Millwall’s 1-0 victory over AFC Wimbledon in the FA Cup fifth round. During the match, Motson was heard describing 28-year-old English striker as “big, black and brave”, which remained on the Talksport website after the original live broadcast had finished.
The Daily Mail reports that Motson has now personally contacted Elliott to apologise for his racist slur and apologised for his remark that falls into a racial stereotype that has been highlighted as unacceptable within football punditry. The report adds that Talksport have reprimanded 73-year-old Motson over the incident but that no further action will be taken against the legendary broadcaster. A Talksport spokeman said: “We reviewed a live commentary by John Motson and decided to remove it from replay.
“Talksport and all of its broadcasters take such matters very seriously and would never wish to offend.”
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Give me strength.
Maybe some lefty snowflake genetic engineers/scientists can slowly phase out the colour black in all aspects of our life. Then there is no chance of upsetting anybody. No more darkness at night, no more black animals, no more black cars, no more black paint/materials Let's get rid of everything black so there isn't any chance somebody has to cry themselves to sleep. |
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To say somebody has 'white privilege' is completely acceptable.
Why? |
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The fundamental difference between TV and Radio commentary is that in Radio the commentator has to be more descriptive in order to describe the action as well as the participants . Those of us who are unfamiliar with the Championship may have been unaware who Tom Elliot is , therefore all Mr Motson was doing was describing him using three simple words . It is not disputed that he is 'big' or that he is 'black' but a vast majority of listeners would have been totally unaware of these facts . So Mr Motson described him as 'big and black' and thus the audience were now able to conjure up an image in their minds eye , as it were . So now , whenever Motty shouts ".... and Elliot makes a run inside the penalty area" we visualise a striker , not unlike Emile Heskey , making progress on the opposition goal . The use of the word 'brave' is more subjective and the listeners vision of Emile Heskey would have been replaced with someone such as John Fashanu who is more fitting of the word 'brave' . Indeed the word 'brave' is the only one of the three that could have been questioned because bravery is a matter of opinion rather than a matter of fact .
We are now at risk of commentators being censured for their use of the terms 'he' and 'she' within their commentary , for fear of offending sportspersons who don't necessarily identify with their biological gender .  |
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........... racist slur .........
Slur - To talk about disparagingly or insultingly . I suggest a willful misuse of the word 'slur' as defined by the English Dictionary in order to tarnish the reputation of John Motson who is a highly regarded and well respected football commentator . |
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I'm sure Motson meant no offence, the only surprising thing to me is that he even had such a comment on his mind - surely people know that you can't say such a thing in this day and age?
Re-education, and if necessary forced labour, is the only way to deal with antedeluvian attitudes such as these. |
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Motson should be excoriated for joining Talksport.
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somebody has the fact that somebodys black on their mind,why wouldn't he
I have on my mind someone,s black,chinese,irish,scotish,polish all the time and in certain situations think differently about them, anyone walking home in London at night and says he doesn't think differently about 3 blackmen walking towards him,as opposed tp 3 whitemen,chinese, etc is just a foooooking liar,racist or not |
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That may or may not be so, but 'anyone walking home at London at night' will not necessarily be employed by the BBC to commentate on a multiracial sport to a multiracial audience.
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FWIW, I also think charges of racism can be levelled at non-racists for their slack use of language, but what does Motson think he's doing here?
You wouldn't say someone is big, white and brave, would you? |
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posted on here the other day in spurs lec game that alan smith on sanchez goal ,basically used the all blacks look the same line,thought there,d be hell on ,but nothing sed
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jed.davison • February 20, 2019 11:21 AM GMT
multiracial sport to a multiracial audience . I agree , jed . Motty should stick to commentating on non-multi-racial events to a white only audience  jed.davison • February 20, 2019 11:23 AM GMT FWIW, I also think charges of racism can be levelled at non-racists for their slack use of language . Great idea , jed . Criminalising people who don't commit criminal offences could be the way forward |
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Not a slur per se to call a black person black. But the racism is calling a black person black when you wouldn't call a white person white or mention their skin colour. You are referring to the black person differently by virtue of skin colour = different treatment on the grounds of skin colour = racism. Black people get offended because a white person doesn't have to put up with this and they shouldn't have to either. Skin colour should be irrelevant.
A lot of people don't get this, it is not the words he said which are overtly racist, it is the fact that he said it which is. Women get similarly offended when they are referred to as 'good-looking' when a man's looks aren't mentioned. People say there is nothing wrong with saying it and that it is a compliment but they are missing the point. It is different treatment on the grounds of sex. |
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I think people do get it lurka but an alternative view is that this is still a predominantly white country, hence the use of outlining others. In Africa (for example), they could and probably would use the term white in these circumstances.
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Would you be offended in Africa?
Probably not |
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You wouldn't say someone is big, white and brave, would you?
I take your point Jed, however, if a football scout/agent was describing him to an interested club who had not heard of him before, then surely "big, black and brave" would be acceptable? |
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What difference would it make what colour he was if somebody wanted to buy or sell him?
Unless it was Ron Atkinson doing the buying of course. |
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political correctness gone mad
please rise above this pathetic leftist agenda |
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In all likliehood, had 'Big Dunc' been playing footie in Africa with a team of 10 other black Africans, he would have been described as big, white and brave...........
As inferred above by Aspro. |
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Not mentioning the word black has long been the way with the BBC, when yet another, black kid is murdered by a black kid, they only tell you the victim was black
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You know that to be the case anyway, because if a white person stabbed a black person to death the BBC would report on nothing else for a decade.
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Radio 2 just apologised for playing "Young Gifted and Black"
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When are Sunderland going to apologise for their 'Black cats'?????
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This racism and highly sensitised political correctness is not at all 'black and white' is it?
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ch 4 podcast tonight ,showed a clip last night of chukka saying a person of your colour to newscaster, if a white man had sdaid it cue uproar
some of us not brought up in ;London, inner cities, etc it,s still a double take for me if I see a black person in the street and as ive said before I,m 60 this year and have never had so much as a 30 second conversation with a black person, if 2 people were talking, stood 50 yds away one white , one black and I was talking about them for some reason to a friend , I,d say the white on ,or the black one to identify which one I was talking about, so would most people |
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^^^^^ common sense thank you ^^^^
its getting past a joke the patheticness of this correctness |
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how long of a career would a white footballer had if he had said what fashanu said to a white sunderland player?
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if 2 people were talking, stood 50 yds away one white , one black and I was talking about them for some reason to a friend , I,d say the white on ,or the black one to identify which one I was talking about, so would most people
Doing that is fine and is common sense, you'd say the same about two cats one black and one white. You are treating both the same, depending on which one you are talking about. In Moston's case he'd never have called a white guy white and that is why black people get offended and why there's an apology. Black people just want to be treated exactly like a white person. They don't want their skin colour brought into it because it is completely irrelevant until someone makes a comment like Motson's. It's quite simple and understandable really. It is the making of the comment rather than the words he used that is the issue. |
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It was simply a description relayed to radio listeners . FFS ! This is absolutely ridiculous
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so if motty wasnt a racist and said big brave white fella, black people would have been on saying he should call black players,big brave black fella,s just to be equal,
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You can't call him Motty these days.
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Ask 100 black people if they were offended and the majority would not have been, probably 99% would say not offended and why?
Because there is always one! |
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i agree with reynard.
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Is it possible that he might have said it to have a dig at political correctness???
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Commenting on a game in Somalia "The big white lad rose like a salmon to head the ball away" not a problem very descriptive for any sight impaired listeners to BBC World radio.
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The world's gone ****ing mad. I expect Western civilization to collapse any day now.
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I hate all the lefty nonsense in the world as well but when you say 'big and brave' you are basically calling the player fearsome. So bringing the fact he is black into that as well is inviting a whole heap of criticism. He is experienced enough to know better now, having already addressed his use of similar language in the 70's if I remember correctly. So unless he is suffering from dementia or similar (entirely possible given his age and the mistakes he constantly makes these days) then he should take his idiotic comment on the chin and move on which he appears to be trying to do to be fair.
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