Richard Keys in trouble again

[User removed 4]

While a bit professionally dicey to use the word, saying someone is 'chocco' is not necessarily racist. It's whether it is considered that the word is used to demean or belittle someone or imply they are inferior because of their skin colour. If 'chocco' has a history of being used in a negative way to describe someone's skin colour, it was pretty unwise of Keys to use it without making it clear he was not using it that way.

At times, I have heard 'chocolate' used as a substitute for brown, as in 'chocolate coloured hair' - which isn't considered offensive. Likewise, using chocolate to describe skin colour is not automatically racist, although sometimes in the way it is used it may be.

Not often we agree , but we do here, seems to me that there are a lot of people wanting to be outraged for the sake of it, i bet if his teammates had nicknamed him that in the jokey way of the dressing room environment no-one would have thought anything of it.

 

[User removed 4]

f***ing hell Bushy, I could have someone biting on that, but you had to go & spoil my fun!

Sorry Smudge !!

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Short phone call to the Sky spokesman!

 

[glasfryn]

All the one sided evidence you mean? Yes, clearly!

the remarks he made to Ulrika Johnson while he was on breakfast TV were despicable ...........the mans a absolute slimeball

 

[Easy 10]

I wouldn't say he's a racist. Exceptionally stupid perhaps, but not a racist.

He just strikes me as being someone who is desperately keen to ingratiate himself with the pundits and famous ex-footballers he shared his TV career with. Trying a bit too hard to be one of the lads with Souness, Redknapp et-al with some close-to-the-knuckle "banter", probably how he'd imagine it if he'd ever shared a dressing room with them. Its all a bit sad really.

 

[Jonno]

I wouldn't say he's a racist. Exceptionally stupid perhaps, but not a racist.

He just strikes me as being someone who is desperately keen to ingratiate himself with the pundits and famous ex-footballers he shared his TV career with. Trying a bit too hard to be one of the lads with Souness, Redknapp et-al with some close-to-the-knuckle "banter", probably how he'd imagine it if he'd ever shared a dressing room with them. Its all a bit sad really.

spot on.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Exactly what I thought; not the best defence.
I heard on the Football Ramble last year; one of the guys on there had heard Keys in action in a studio & described him as an extremely unlikeable man.

I've read about 5 or 6 journos allude to Richard Keyes being extremely unlikeable. One of them said these leaks were only a matter of time as so many people dislike him. Most put up with him as they don't want to rock their career boat. There's a lot more to come out apparently. I will be surprised if he's working in a years time.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

All things considered my greater worry is with a hairy handed middle-aged man sitting back with his feet on a coffee table, wearing a cardigan and asking a young lad if "he smashed it." Looks and sounds a bit creepy.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

A useful test is whether Keys or anyone else on here would call David Johnson (or any other black person) "Chocco" to his face.

If the answer is no, then that probably tells you whether it's acceptable or not.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Blimey, imagine what Keys is like when he's out with the lads and pissed up.

Slimy?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

While a bit professionally dicey to use the word, saying someone is 'chocco' is not necessarily racist. It's whether it is considered that the word is used to demean or belittle someone or imply they are inferior because of their skin colour. If 'chocco' has a history of being used in a negative way to describe someone's skin colour, it was pretty unwise of Keys to use it without making it clear he was not using it that way.

At times, I have heard 'chocolate' used as a substitute for brown, as in 'chocolate coloured hair' - which isn't considered offensive. Likewise, using chocolate to describe skin colour is not automatically racist, although sometimes in the way it is used it may be.

I've always said it's not the words which are offensive but the person. Keys has demonstrated beyond doubt he is an offensive unlikeable person. End of.

 

[Gully]

In 20 years of broadcasting and thousands of hours of tape, you're going to get caught out saying stupid things the odd time.

Maybe, but unless you are making comments considered racist, homophobic or sexist it is unlikely that any of them will do you serious harm.

 

[Vatican Citys No.2 Keeper]

I think the most telling thing is that not one single person who he has worked with IN NEARLY TWENTY YEARS has come out to defend him or to say that he's not as bad as he's being portrayed - this was absolutely not the case when Ron Atkinson made his racist comments.

The fact is that everyone who's ever met the man seems to consider him to be one of the most unpleasant people they've ever met.

Spot on for me, in particular with Ron Atkinson

Was at a talk that Clive Tyldsley did at our uni back in November/December last year. When a question about the Desailly comment came up, he said that after working with Marcel in the CL coverage for many years, he is certain that had the incident not occured, and the two worked together at ITV, they would have got on splendidly.

Difference in this instance is that from all that has come out, Keys was an arrogant, unlikeable man, and as Robdihno says, I haven't seen anyone come out defending Keys, just more and more people queing up to back up the negative view of the man. Got to tell you something hasn't it.

 

[Jonno]

Should we perhaps start a thread of 'cnuts in football' ? Although I guess it's been done many times before. Never hurts to update though.

 

[Beach Hut]

Blimey, imagine what Keys is like when he's out with the lads and pissed up.

Smashed

 

[Titanic]

A useful test is whether Keys or anyone else on here would call David Johnson (or any other black person) "Chocco" to his face.

If the answer is no, then that probably tells you whether it's acceptable or not.

Indeed a useful test, and I can't imagine it is one that would be passed on this, or any other, occasion.

 

[Gritt23]

I think the most telling thing is that not one single person who he has worked with IN NEARLY TWENTY YEARS has come out to defend him or to say that he's not as bad as he's being portrayed - this was absolutely not the case when Ron Atkinson made his racist comments.

The fact is that everyone who's ever met the man seems to consider him to be one of the most unpleasant people they've ever met.

Exactly what I've been thinking. All I've heard from people around him has been negative, and painted him as a pretty odious man to be around. Whether it's ex-rafs, or journos, no-one seems to have been left with a warm impression of the guy. As for saying it's a few clips that have cropped up "over nearly twenty yearfs" is just ludicrous, as all the clips seem to be pretty recent. We are no hearing clips going back to the "whole new ball game" days. Rather than "stockpiling" these clips, I think someone has just trawled through the old clips, and seemingly hasn't had to go back very far.

The giuy is clearly a horrible little man, and I'll be very surprised if TalkSPORT stick with him for very long. They can protest all they want that Mike Parry resigning isn't linked, but that's just treating us as fools. He'll be out before 6 months, and TalkSPORT will be missing Parry.

 

[User removed 4]

A useful test is whether Keys or anyone else on here would call David Johnson (or any other black person) "Chocco" to his face.

If the answer is no, then that probably tells you whether it's acceptable or not.

People say things all day everyday that wouldnt be acceptable the first time you meet someone but in a male dressing room type environment ,are, i have a scar on my left eyelid , during my time in the army someone dubbed me isaiah, why ? cos one eye's higher than the other ! did it pisss me off ? no , it comes with the territory of all male environments, if i met someone for the first time and they took the piss they could expect a right hander, i expect david johnson would feel the same if he was truthful.

 

[Gritt23]

i bet if his teammates had nicknamed him that in the jokey way of the dressing room environment no-one would have thought anything of it.

Judging by Johnsons reaction to this, I think you are wrong on that one.

Is Keys a racist? No I don't think, but I do think he's an obnoxious, slimy little shit, who is just trying too hard to be "a lad" and that is just ALWAYS going to get you into trouble before long in his line of work.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

If Brian McClair was black, would his team-mates still have given him the nickname Choccy?