Heather Knight of England was fined £1000 for having a blackface photo shot of her at a cricket club in Kent in 2012 by an unidentified third party. It was decided that the skipper’s actions qualified as “racist and discriminatory conduct.”
The England and Wales Cricket Board’s Directive 3.3, which was broken at the time, stated that “No such person may conduct himself in a manner or do any act or omission which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the game of cricket or any cricketer or group of cricketers into disrepute.”
Recently, a much more responsible 33-year-old Knight come up about the same subject and quite openly acknowledged the seriousness of her conduct. She appeared to have taken a fresh turn when discussing the significance of diversity and inclusivity in the cricket world.
“I sincerely apologise for the error I committed in 2012.” I have long regretted doing it because it was wrong. I was just not as aware of the ramifications and consequences of my behaviour back then as I am now. Nothing bad was intended. Knight said in a statement made public by the ECB, “Although I cannot undo the past, I am passionate and committed to using my platform to promote inclusivity across the game, ensuring under-represented groups are afforded the same opportunities and fulfilment within the game as I have.”
I hope this will continue throughout her time in the sport: Dave Lewis
Speaking on the same subjects as previously noted was Dave Lewis, the acting director of the board that sanctioned Knight. Although the offence warranted punishment, he pointed out that the Cricket Discipline Commission reached a reasonable conclusion by taking into account Knight’s age at the time, which may have contributed to her making such an ignorant choice.
Heather Knight of England was fined £1000 for having a blackface photo shot of her at a cricket club in Kent in 2012 by an unidentified third party
“Cricket is striving to become a more inclusive sport, and the Cricket Regulator is dedicated to responding in an unbiased and constructive manner to any reports of racist conduct. Although Ms. Knight’s actions in this instance were disrespectful and discriminatory, the Cricket Discipline Commission acknowledged that she did not act with a racial purpose. Lewis stated, “I appreciate her recognition of the possible consequences of her actions and her unconditional remorse.
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“The CDC also took into account the fact that the offence occurred 12 years ago, the victim was 21 at the time, and she had not had much training on these topics when deciding how to sentence it. There was a lot of testimony about her volunteer efforts, her excellent role model status, and her beneficial impact on players from many backgrounds and ethnicities. Lewis continued, “I hope this will continue throughout her stay in the sport.