Michael Vaughn played for Yorkshire from 1993 to 2009
Former England captain Michael Vaughn is stepping down from his job at the BBC amid an ongoing “dialogue” over the investigation of racism in Yorkshire.
On Monday, a joint letter from two groups of BBC officials expressed concern about the 47-year-old’s continued involvement in covering the TV operator’s cricket.
Vaughn was mentioned in the Yorkshire report in Azim Rafik’s allegations of racism.
He denied allegations of racist comments against a group of Asian players.
Vaughn was not involved in the BBC’s coverage of the ashes in Australia over the winter, but returned to comments in March.
The news of the ECB’s accusations came before England played Heddingley in New Zealand in the third test – the first international match held on the field since the scandal.
On Monday, the BBC said it acknowledged that staff had expressed concerns in an open letter challenging Vaughn’s recovery at the corporation.
The letter was sent to employees from groups representing black, Asian and minority ethnic colleagues.
“It’s always unfortunate when comments on off-field issues divert the focus from what’s happening on the field. “In view of the ongoing dialogue on the subject, I have decided to withdraw from my work for the BBC for the time being,” Vaughn said in a statement.
“The key driver for this is my concern for the well-being of my family members and my desire to protect their family life. Temporary withdrawal is also in the interest of the game and I hope that it will minimize all the difficulties for my colleagues at work. “
In a statement, the BBC said: “After talks with Michael Vaughn, we accepted his decision to withdraw from our coverage of cricket. This is a decision we respect and understand. Michael remains on a contract with the BBC.”
Last November, Rafik told lawmakers about his experience in Yorkshire and said English cricket was “institutionally” racist.
Since then, 16 staff members have left Yorkshire in a major reconstruction.
The scandal on the part of the club also led to a series of resignations, with CEO Mark Arthur and President Roger Hutton stepping down and the ECB depriving Heddingley of the international players he was supposed to host – since then the club’s right to host England’s matches have been restored.
Commenting on the allegations earlier this month, the ECB said it had conducted an “in-depth and complex” investigation. The Management Board expects the hearings to take place in September or October and the results of each case to be published after decisions have been taken.
It alleges that the allegations stem from alleged violations of a directive on “conduct which is incorrect or which may be detrimental to the interests of cricket or which may harm the ECB, the game of cricket or any cricketer And the ECB’s opposition to a discriminatory code.
The ECB did not comment on the specific details of the fees.
Rafik claims Vaughn said “too many of you, we need to do something about it” to him and three other Asian players during a 2009 Yorkshire game.
Rafik’s story was backed by former Pakistani bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hassan and English footballer Adil Rashid, who said they had heard the comment.
The fourth player in the group – bowling player Ajmal Shahzad – told the Daily Mail earlier that he had no recollection of the event and “the older boys were really good to me”.
Vaughn said earlier that he did not remember the incident and did not recognize the words he allegedly used.
“I clearly remember being proud as a blow that we have four Asian players representing the Yorkshire County cricket club,” he said.
In an interview with the BBC in November, he said he “regretted all the pain” Rafik had endured.
Vaughn was England’s captain in the tests between 2003 and 2008. He played his entire home career in Yorkshire – between 1993 and 2009 – before becoming a summary in the BBC Test Match Special.
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