- News>
- Cricket
Chris Gayle: Female journalists claim left-hander is a `repeat offender`
Some of the best female journalists shared their experiences of interviewing the left-hander.
New Delhi: After drawing flak from all quarters for his controversial interview with Mel McLaughlin, Chris Gayle issued an apology to the Channel 10 presenter on Tuesday.
However, the problems didn't end there for the flamboyant West Indian star as more female journalists called out Gayle, terming him as a repeat offender.
Some of them shared their experiences of interviewing the left-hander. From 'creep' to 'd***head' here is what they had to say about the big-hitting Jamaican.
Fleta Page (Canberra Times): It was a few years ago, I'd hijacked him on the West Indies team's day off, so it came as no surprise he refused to be interviewed. To be honest it wasn't really a surprise that he followed it up with a sleazy comment (I can't remember what it was exactly but included getting a drink and chatting without a notepad and recorder), even if at the time it left me feeling awkward. He has a bit of a reputation as a "smooth talker" after all. But that doesn't make it any better or more forgivable.
Grandstand's Gerard Whateley spoke to Fox Sports' Neroli Meadows and ESPNCricinfo's Melinda Farrell who shared their experiences with the player.
Melinda Farrell: Chris did this to me, I think it was five or six years ago when he first joined the Thunder. It was an entirely filled press conference because it was big news in Sydney, and the entire squad was in the back of that press conference. He went at me once in the press conference - ok, fine, whatever, you're having a laugh, you're Chris Gayle, everyone laughs. He did it again, it's cringey, you could almost hear the cringing, it's not ok, and then to come up afterwards, stand over me: "So when are we going for this drink." It makes you - he's a big guy, it makes you feel intimidated, and it's just not ok.
Neroli Meadows: I knew straight away he was going to do it, the moment he got out I knew he was going to go off and was going to say something to that effect because he has done it before, he's done it to me, he's done it to several women. He does this constantly. He is a creep. He has creepy behaviour and the way that he did it to Mel was just that.
Interestingly, former Australian opener Chris Rogers also stated there was a pattern to Gayle's behaviour.
"I distanced myself from him at the [Sydney] Thunder. This is a pattern of behaviour," he said.