England vs New Zealand: Ollie Robinson apologises for posting ‘sexist and racist’ remarks as a teenager

Ollie Robinson, the England all-rounder, has issued an apology for sharing ‘sexist and racist’ remarks on Twitter while being a teenager. The 27-year-old, on Wednesday, June 2, made his Test debut at the Lord’s Cricket Ground against New Zealand and right after the first day’s play, he released a statement where he apologised for the wrongdoings in his younger days.

Robinson, at the age of 18 and 19 back in 2012 and 2013, used the ‘N’ word and suggested that Muslim people were involved in terrorism. He also made derogatory comments about women and people of Asian heritage. Back then, the Margate-born was plying his trade for Kent, Leicestershire, and Yorkshire in the second cricket team.

I will continue to educate myself, look for advice and work with the support network: Ollie Robinson

“On the biggest day of my career so far, I am embarrassed by the racist and sexist tweets that I posted over eight years ago, which have today become public. I want to make it clear that I’m not racist and I’m not sexist,” Robinson told in the statement, ESPNcricinfo reported.

“I deeply regret my actions, and I am ashamed of making such remarks. I would like to unreservedly apologise to anyone I have offended, my teammates and the game as a whole in what has been a day of action and awareness in combatting discrimination from our sport,” he stated.

The tweets came to the fore on Twitter on the same day when he and his teammates wore anti-discrimination t-shirts before the start of the game. Earlier, Robinson was a part of a controversy when Sussex terminated his contract in 2014 due to a “number of unprofessional actions.”

“I don’t want something that happened eight years ago to diminish the efforts of my teammates and the ECB as they continue to build meaningful action with their comprehensive initiatives and efforts, which I fully endorse and support,” Robinson quipped.

“I will continue to educate myself, look for advice and work with the support network that is available to me to learn more about getting better in this area. I am sorry, and I have certainly learned my lesson today,” he added.

On the field, Robin had a decent opening day as he picked up the crucial wickets of Black Caps’ opener Tom Latham and middle-order batter Ross Taylor. On a day when only three wickets fell for 246 runs, Robinson turned out to be the Brits’ standout bowler. James Anderson got the other wicket of Kane Williamson.