Cricketer Michael Vaughan has been cleared of accusations of racism on the “balance of probabilities”.
The Ex-England Captain and Yorkshire batsman was one of eight people accused of racist conduct after Azeem Rafiq revealed that he had suffered racism, harassment and bullying during his time at Yorkshire.
Azeem spoke out in September 2020, saying that the ‘institutional racism’ he experienced when joining the club left him wanting to end his own life.
Vaughn was accused of saying: “There are too many of you lot, we need to do something about it.”
The Cricket Discipline Commission found him innocent of the claim that was allegedly directed at Asian players.
He has always “completely and categorically” denied any wrongdoing.
Rafiq, in response to the ruling, tweeted: “The issue has never been about individuals but the game as a whole. Cricket needs to understand the extent of its problems and address them.
“Hopefully, the structures of the game can now be rebuilt and institutionalised racism ended for good. It’s time to reflect, learn and implement change”
Matthew Hoggard, another former England and Yorkshire Cricketer was found guilty of using a racist slur when referring to Rafiq, the regular use of a slur referencing the Pakistani heritage of some of the players and calling fellow Yorkshire player Ismail Dawood, the ‘TBM’ or ‘Token Black Man’.
Yorkshire County Cricket Club released a statement saying: “As a Club, we needed to accept and take accountability for the cultural issues which allowed racist and discriminatory behaviour to go unchallenged.”
Vaughan’s statement in response to his exoneration said: “It has been difficult and upsetting to hear about the painful experiences which Azeem has described over the last 3 years. The outcome of these CDC proceedings must not be allowed to distract from the core message that there can be no place for racism in the game of cricket, or in society generally.”