Ex-West Indies skipper Darren Sammy confronts his former IPL teammates for alleged racial abuse

Few days after revealing that he faced racism during his stint with Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad, former West Indies skipper Darren Sammy on Monday (June 8) said that he will now personally message those who used call him by that ‘derogatory word’.

“I have played all over the world and I have been loved by many people, I have embraced all dressing rooms where I have played, so I was listening to Hasan Minhaj as to how some of the people in his culture describe black people,” Sammy said in a video posted on his Instagram account.

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So recently I discovered a word that I was being called was not what it actually meant I need some answers. So before I start calling out names I need these individuals to reach out and please tell me there’s another meaning to that word and when I was being called it,it was all in love. #blackandproud #blackandconfident #clarasboy #saynotoracism #stopracism #cricketer #stlucia

A post shared by daren (@darensammy88) on Jun 8, 2020 at 1:18pm PDT

“This does not apply to all people, so after I found out a meaning of a certain word, I had said I was angry on finding out the meaning and it was degrading, instantly I remembered when I played for Sunrisers Hyderabad, I was being called exactly the same word which is degrading to us black people,” he added.

It may be recalled that Sammy played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2013 and 2014 seasons of IPL and according to the West Indies all-rounder when he was being called with the 'derogatory word', he was unaware of its meaning. Sammy added that his IPL teammates used to laugh after calling him by that name.

“I will be messaging those people, you guys know who you are, I must admit at that time when I was being called as that word I thought the word meant strong stallion or whatever it is, I did not know what it meant, every time I was called with that word, there was laughter at that moment, I thought teammates are laughing so it must be something funny,” Sammy said.

“Now, I realise it was degrading, I will be texting you guys and I will ask you as to when you called me with that name, did you all mean it in any bad way or form? I have had great memories in all my dressing rooms, so all those who used to you call me with that word, think about it, let’s have a conversation, if it was in a bad way then I would be really disappointed,” he added.

Sammy has been a vocal supporter of the protests that are currently going on in the United States following the death of black man George Floyd. Sammy had also urged the ICC and other cricket boards to take strict action against racism.