Former England flanker James Haskell has posted a three-minute apology video after he was accused of disrespecting women’s rugby.
The former England back-rower told Bristol Bears star Simi Pam to ‘have a day off’ when she corrected his social media post listing the most-capped front-rowers for the country.
In an Instagram post by his ‘The Good, The Bad and The Rugby’ podcast on Sunday, Haskell put Jason Leonard, the most-capped men’s player with 114, top of the list rather than former women’s star Rocky Clark, who has 137.
After receiving a barrage of criticism on social media after his controversial comments, Haskell posted his response to what he described as a ‘character assasination’.
He admitted that he didn’t get his reaction right and had no intention of disrespecting women’s rugby.
On Twitter, he shared his apology made on Instagram and wrote: ‘I will take my own advice and have a day off.’
James Haskell has posted a three-minute apology video on Instagram after he was accused of disrespecting women’s rugby after telling Bristol Bears star Sami Pam to ‘have a day off’
In his video message on Instagram, he said: ‘I really feel like my silence has left a void which people are filling with untruths, character assasinations and pretty aggressive comments about me and my integrity.’
‘Yesterday (Sunday), on the Good, Bad and Rugby podcast we posted about Steve Thompson and the amazing journey he’s on.
‘It was captioned: ‘England’s most capped front-rowers ever’, with a picture of Thompson and Dylan Hartley. We should have put the ‘men’s most capped England front-rowers ever’, without doing that we marginalise people like Rocky Clark and we cause offence.
‘So because of that we were inundated with public comments and it was a genuine mistake which was quickly rectified. Obviously within these comments they weren’t always put in the most positive way.
The former England flanker saw his social media post listing the most-capped front-rowers for the country corrected after it had Jason Leonard (right) as first rather than Rocky Clark (left)
‘I’d walked off stage pretty pumped after doing a live show, full of adrenaline, I find out we’ve walked into a bit of a media storm and I frankly didn’t get my reaction right.
‘I posted without thinking because I felt as a company and individuals we were being attacked. We try so hard to get things right and promote women’s rugby in the right way.’
Pam said the graphic should have had the word ‘male’ included or directly referenced Clark, who represented her country in four World Cup tournaments in a decade-long career, winning the 2014 competition.
Haskell told Bristol Bears prop Simi Pam to ‘have a day off’ but was criticised for his response
She posted: ‘I think you meant to say “most England caps – MALE front row forwards”. Please stop disrespecting the women like this. Because the way you’ve named this list, we know Rocky Clark tops it. Please do better @goodbadrugby’.
Ex-Wasps stalwart Haskell, infamous for his controversial opinions, quickly shot back: ‘@simipam have a day off.’
Pam, who has a full-time job as a doctor and worked in Bristol hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic, responded: ‘As someone who has been a guest on your spin off show @goodscazrugby, hearing that this is how you respond to being corrected for a mistake is very telling.
‘I won’t have a day off – why don’t you just do better and stop disrespecting your female fan base and their role models?’
But when other users agreed with Pam, who will represent Bristol as they face Exeter in the Premier 15s semi-final on Sunday, the 37-year-old deleted his comment and replaced it with an amended post.
Pam, who works full-time as a doctor as well as playing rugby and worked in Bristol hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic, called the 37-year-old’s comment ‘disappointing’
That post claimed he personally has done ‘more for the growth of the women’s game than anyone’, ostensibly via his spin-off podcast on women’s rugby ‘The Good, The Scaz and the Rugby’ which began last year and is co-hosted by England star Emily Scarratt and former England back Mike Tindall.
In his apology video he would go on to add: ‘For me to tell a fellow player to ‘have a day off’ was not respectful and made light of a cause they are fighting for.
‘It’s a cause that everybody at Good, Bad Rugby, myself included, is a 100% aligned with. I deleted that comment after a couple of seconds, social media people screenshot stuff.
‘I replied with what I thought was a much more succinct comment that I feel attacking people already on your side – so I feel like we are on the side of women’s rugby.
‘So by attacking us you trivialise your point and polarise opinion. That original post was on our Good, Bad Rugby channels which is predominantly about men’s rugby and that if we made the point elsewhere we could understand the reaction.
‘I stand by this point, however, I am aware I have not faced any of the struggles so many in the women’s game face so passions do run high.
‘We can all agree there are better ways to handle these things. I truly didn’t intend to disrespect women’s rugby and no way did my reply mean to cause offence.
‘I’m a huge advocate, if you believe it or not, of the women’s game and my track record backs that up.’
Clark responded jokingly to Sunday’s post, writing: ‘The way @rockyclark looks at @jameshaskell when they leave her out of the most capped front row list’ with a picture of ex-England captain Dylan Hartley frowning at international team-mate Steve Thompson.
Former England forward Neil Back stepped in to defend Haskell and the initial list. He wrote on Twitter: ‘I look at this @GoodBadRugby post & think “Most England Caps” in the mens [sic] game as the top capped men are listed & men are in the pic?!
‘If they had posted ‘Most England Caps’ & listed the top capped women with women in the picture I wouldn’t have thought, why aren’t men listed.’
England international Shaunagh Brown also replied to Clark’s tweet, saying: ‘Got to laugh otherwise we’d cry. Women being overlooked AGAIN. It’s just our everyday isn’t it. And heaven forbid anyone points it out.’
