'I accept the penalty' - Marcus Stoinis fined for his homophobic slur at Kane Richardson in BBL

Abusing anyone on racial/homophobic lines is one of the most preposterous things to do for any individual in any walks of life, especially in sports. In the past, we have seen a plethora of such incidents on a cricket field where the players have taken it too far and in turn, got involved in racial abuse.

A similar sort of thing happened during a Melbourne derby encounter between the Stars and defending champions Renegades where all-rounder Marcus Stoinis and Royal Challengers Bangalore‘s latest recruit Kane Richardson. Earlier it was reported that Marcus Stoinis hurled a homophobic slur during his match-winning innings of 68* against the defending champions.

A hearing was held with Cricket Australia after the match where the charge on the all-rounder was indeed confirmed and consequently hit by a $7500 fine. “Marcus Stoinis has been found guilty of a level two breach of Article 2.1.3 of Cricket Australia’s Code of Conduct for personal abuse of a player. Stoinis accepted the charge without challenge and was fined $7,500. The breach was reported by umpires Gerard Abood and Phillip Gillespie to match referee Daryl Harper.” An official statement by Cricket Australia said.

Marcus Stoinis apologizes for his actions

The statement also included an apology from Stoinis who admitted that the took it too far. “I got caught in the moment and took it too far. I realized immediately I was in the wrong and I apologize to Kane and to the umpires. I did the wrong thing and accept responsibility for my actions. The standards are there for a reason and I accept the penalty.”

The Head of Integrity and Security for Cricket Australia, Sean Carroll also said “there is no place” in the game for the Melbourne Stars’ all-rounder’s actions. In late 2019, fast bowler James Pattinson was handed a one-match suspension after he was involved in a third such incident in a space of a one year. Stoinis hasn’t been handed a suspension because it is the first time that he has been found guilty of such actions.

Meanwhile, the defending champions fell to their sixth consecutive defeat of the season when the Stars comfortably chased down the total of 142 in 18.5 overs.

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