Amo
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- Aug 22, 2013
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Yep. Although I think the graceful and correct thing for him to do now is to accept the charges. If that makes sense.
Andre Gray homophobic tweet
- Thread starter sidford
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Yep. Although I think the graceful and correct thing for him to do now is to accept the charges. If that makes sense.
Navin R Johnson
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The FA should hold a full investigation into the comments to confirm whether or not the comments brought football into disrepute at they time they were made and whether the comments influenced anybody enough for them to act on them.
Or, they could just say we're a kangaroo court in a game awash with money and this is just another cash generating opportunity we've chanced upon. The 25K we stripe him up for should keep our noses in the trough for another week or two.
His comments were obscene but he was a young prick, it's what young pricks do. The FA could have handled this behind the scenes and made a joint announcement with Gray when they'd arrived at a resolution and a course of action but I suspect the temptation to make a few bob outweighed doing the right thing.
Back to the thread, here's some ladies without many clothes on.
mil1lion
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I wasn't a homophobe as a youngster. There are certainly things that change as you grow up but I'm not so sure about these type of views and whether they really change. It's interesting that you're convinced he has changed though. Why is that?Oh come on, people change,
He's obviously grown up from the time he posted those tweets. Do you still hold the same views that you had when you were younger?
I think the only thing that's changed is he's in the public spotlight now so he know he can't make those comments public. He was 21 it's not like he was a teenager either. Maybe as a proper kid sure your views change a lot more. But from 18 I think you're old enough at that age to know your true beliefs.
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Gb160
Well done boys. Good process
- Jun 20, 2012
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Really ?...I was a complete fucking idiot up until my early/mid twenties, not homophobic or racist, just immature and eager to 'fit in'.
I'm proud to say over the years I've now moved on from 'complete fucking idiot' to 'a bit of a prat', probably my greatest achievement to date.
Amo
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I was a homophobe when I was younger. Pretty recently, actually. I'm not anymore.
Rocksuperstar
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See, now this has been moved out of the pic thread, this comment seems infinitely more perverted
mil1lion
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I just find it hard to believe those views really change but could of course be wrong as I have many times before. There must be a time where you know those views are wrong and why yet still have them. That's the point where I find it hard to see how they can really change. Maybe they just get buried down inside so they're no longer brought to the surface. That's just me speaking as someone who has never had those thoughts before though so I can't truely understand if it's possible to change in that way.
If Gray has changed his views however then he should have said something before. Say 4 years ago he had homophobic views and then 2 years ago changed, he should have then made a statement about his previous views and let it be known he doesn't feel that way anymore. Surely you would want to set the record straight. It just seems that he's now been caught out and is being punished for it. Serves him right.
Danners9
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A series of tweets from 2012, retweeted four years later. Okay fine, that's a bit odd to do it in the first place, but a statement from the player apologising saying he was a different person back then and does not hold those beliefs today should be enough.
The need to satisfy hypocritical tabloid and faux public outrage, and the FA's response to charge him is, quite frankly, pathetic in my view. They even read the statement out on Match of the Day after people had trawled through his account to find it and RT it into current news feeds. It's a sad world we live in - both where these views are genuinely held, and where someone isn't allowed to change their perspective and move on, and indeed where a public apology is not enough anymore.
I hope he's not banned for this, although perhaps a bit of social awareness would be a good idea - and to delete the tweets if he hasn't already.
The need to satisfy hypocritical tabloid and faux public outrage, and the FA's response to charge him is, quite frankly, pathetic in my view. They even read the statement out on Match of the Day after people had trawled through his account to find it and RT it into current news feeds. It's a sad world we live in - both where these views are genuinely held, and where someone isn't allowed to change their perspective and move on, and indeed where a public apology is not enough anymore.
I hope he's not banned for this, although perhaps a bit of social awareness would be a good idea - and to delete the tweets if he hasn't already.
DanielCHillier
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He has issued a statement about how he's changed since 4 years ago, and changing your view or opinion or something isn't like a switch, you just meet people and learn about other peoples ways of life and learn to accept them.
- Oct 2, 2004
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From my personal history I can definitely see how someone's views could change.
When I was younger I wouldn't say I was aggressively homophobic (i.e. I didn't abuse gay people or make fun of them directly) but I would certainly tell and laugh at jokes that would be seen as homophobic. That came from my parents approach to it all (similar) and the fact that I simply didn't know any gay people (well not anyone who was openly gay anyway).
Having been to university, I met loads of different people, including gay people, and that changed my perspective hugely, and that's continued ever since.
If someone now pulled up a joke I told before going to uni I think that would be hugely unfair.
I think if Gray just says that what he said was wrong and stupid and he doesn't believe that anymore, then that should really be the end of it.
Ribble
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Apparently it wasn't The Sun that found it, it was a Liverpool fan pissed off he'd scored against them.
mil1lion
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So he's now issued a statement after he has been caught. That doesn't necessarily mean a thing.
Fair enough and thanks for sharing.
I would say though that anyone can come out and say "I was wrong and stupid" etc to cover their tracks. I'm not sure why people are convinced he has really changed not knowing him personally. I say lynch him. OK maybe not. It's good that he's receiving punishment albeit 4 years too late. In that regards it should be dealt with and hopefully he doesn't make such idiotic remarks in future. The silly little shit.
Shadydan
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So you were squeaky clean when you were young, never said anything out of turn, never did anything that you'd regret if you did it now, never looked back and cringed at your behaviour and accepted that you were immature, it's all part of growing up isn't it?
Why am I convinced he's changed? Because he's clearly more mature now and he's apologised for the tweets, do you see him tweeting that crap now? People mature at different ages, it's not as easy as saying that he should be mature enough at 18 or whatever, not everyone is the same, not everyone grows up in the same environment around the same peers so your experience with growing maybe different than his. The point is that people shouldn't be so quick to judge especially when everyone did or said something stupid when they were younger that they wouldn't do now, if you can't admit that you're a liar.
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I don't think anyone does know he's changed. They are just saying he could have changed, and to punish him based on something said 4 years ago is a little daft.
I agree that it's different to what I talked about. He was old enough when he made the tweet to know better, and 4 years isn't as long as the period I was talking about for him to have changed, so it's quite possible he's still a bigoted tit.
Even so, if he wasn't punished at the time by the FA because he wasn't high-profile enough, I don't really see what the justification is for it now.
mil1lion
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Not squeeky clean by any means. I said those type of views don't change not that other immature behaviour etc doesn't. I think those feelings are deep rooted. Maybe they can though but that's only something someone with homophobic views etc can really say.
I do find these comments like "he's clearly more mature now" funny to read when they're based on nothing. I bet when John Terry apologised for his racist comments people didn't think the same way. And I still think Terry has racist thoughts he just knows not to make them public now.
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But that's the point really.
If someone is racist, but silent on the subject, you cannot punish them for what they think. If they are then stupid enough to say it (and quite a few racists are, by definition, that stupid) then you get 'em.
Gray may still be a homophobe, but if he hasn't made any public proclamations on the subject in the last 4 years then it's hard to see why he's being punished now.
mil1lion
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How long do you leave it before you decide to not punish someone though? To be honest I'm not sure what the rules were back then but I'm sure public comments like that were punishable. Just because they didn't pick up on it at the time I don't think they should sweep it under the carpet. I think the punishment is fair as long as it's based on what the rules were 4 years ago and not based on what they are today. Although it does make you wonder how many fans will go digging for something on their rivals now. Anyway following Jack Wilshere by any chance
- Oct 2, 2004
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How long do you leave it before you decide to not punish someone though? To be honest I'm not sure what the rules were back then but I'm sure public comments like that were punishable. Just because they didn't pick up on it at the time I don't think they should sweep it under the carpet. I think the punishment is fair as long as it's based on what the rules were 4 years ago and not based on what they are today. Although it does make you wonder how many fans will go digging for something on their rivals now. Anyway following Jack Wilshere by any chance
Well four years is quite a long time to go back I'd say.
I actually think it sets a dangerous precedent in that it suggests it's okay to say these sorts of things if you're a lower league footballer, but as soon as you're in the Prem...no more homophobia!
mil1lion
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I'm not sure why it has really surfaced now and not back then. Whether it's because he's now in the top league that it has come to light. If that's the case then obviously there's a flaw in the system. I'm not sure that's really the case though as players in the lower leagues have been punished for comments on social media.
It's difficult to capture everything I guess. Maybe Twitter/Facebook etc should monitor these things better. I thought those kind of comments were supposed to be banned anyway.
