Azeem Rafiq, the former cricketer whose revelations about the racism he suffered at Yorkshire has sparked a crisis in the English game, apologized Thursday after admitting to sending antisemitic messages 10 years ago.
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British newspaper The Times of London reported it has seen an exchange of messages that appear to have been sent between Rafiq and another former cricketer, Ateeq Javid, and which contain disparaging comments about an unnamed Jewish person.
Rafiq confirmed in a post on Twitter that he did send the messages and has "absolutely no excuses."
"I am ashamed of this exchange and have now deleted it so as not to cause further offense," Rafiq wrote. "I was 19 at the time and I hope and believe I am a different person today. I am incredibly angry at myself and I apologize to the Jewish community and everyone who is rightly offended by this."
At no point will I ever try and defend the indefensible
For those I have hurt I am sincerely sorry
I will continue to front up & own any more mistakes I have made
— Azeem Rafiq (@AzeemRafiq30) November 18, 2021
Rafiq, a former England under-19 captain, testified through tears at a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday about his experiences of racism and bullying while playing for Yorkshire.
The England and Wales Cricket Board has suspended Yorkshire from hosting international matches over its "wholly unacceptable" response to the racism faced by Rafiq, while some of the club's sponsors are ending deals.
On Thursday, British sports minister Nigel Huddleston called for cricket to "get its house in order" and raised the possibility of independent regulation if it did not.
Claudia Mendoza, co-chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, said Rafiq had "undoubtedly" learned a lot since 2011.
"There's no doubt that this is massively awkward for Azeem Rafiq," Mendoza wrote on Twitter.
There's no doubt that this is massively awkward for Azeem Rafiq but he's taken full ownership, apologised, and undoubtedly - through his own experiences - learnt a lot about racism since then. https://t.co/YfCvJB07iT
— Claudia Mendoza (@Claud_Mendoza) November 18, 2021
"But he's taken full ownership, apologized, and undoubtedly – through his own experiences – learnt a lot about racism since then."
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