Admin phantom Posted August 30, 2018 Admin Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 PREMIER LEAGUE referee Bobby Madley was FIRED for discrimination against the disabled. Madley, 32, posted an offensive and inappropriate message on his Snapchat account that was sent on to league chiefs. The official shared a picture of a disabled man with an insensitive remark about the probability of being able to beat him in a school sports day race. One of his followers then took a screen grab of the comment and took it to his bosses. They fired Madley, who was on a six-figure salary plus bonuses with the Premier League, and placed a gagging order on him as part of his exit package. That silence has led to intense speculation about why he left the game. Madley has recently split with his wife and is now living in Norway as he attempts to rebuild his shattered life. Despite a dodgy season last year, he was still regarded as one of the best referees in English football and was a regular on the Uefa circuit. He was given the Community Shield in 2017 in recognition of his progress and officiated 19 top-flight games last season. A Premier League spokesman, responding to questions over his dismissal relating to the Snapchat message, said: “Bobby Madley is no longer employed by PGMOL. We understand he has decided to relocate due to a change in his personal circumstances.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedM Posted August 30, 2018 Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 I don’t know anything about this at all, but it staggers me. What on earth made him post such a post? Saying it would be bad enough but putting it on social media? Did he honestly think he was being funny? Or clever? I am staggered a grown adult, never mind one in the public eye in a position of trust/authority would even consider this for a second. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pongo88 Posted August 30, 2018 Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 I agree with 9 minutes ago, RedM said: I don’t know anything about this at all, but it staggers me. What on earth made him post such a post? Saying it would be bad enough but putting it on social media? Did he honestly think he was being funny? Or clever? I am staggered a grown adult, never mind one in the public eye in a position of trust/authority would even consider this for a second. I agree that it’s staggering, but it seems to happen all the time with high profile people. In appropriate “jokes”, suggestions, photographs etc. It’s obvious there’s nothing private with social media and anything you post will come back to haunt you, but they still do it. Some people seem to have a brain fade when using a mobile, laptop etc. It’s a modern illness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedFencing Posted August 30, 2018 Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 Social media blurs the line between private and public. If you wouldn't shout it in the park, dont put it on social media! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ooRya Posted August 30, 2018 Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 Stupid, yes. Careless, yes. Insensitive, yes. But to lose your career over that? Hmm, a tad harsh in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottishRed Posted August 30, 2018 Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 1 hour ago, pongo88 said: I agree with I agree that it’s staggering, but it seems to happen all the time with high profile people. In appropriate “jokes”, suggestions, photographs etc. It’s obvious there’s nothing private with social media and anything you post will come back to haunt you, but they still do it. Some people seem to have a brain fade when using a mobile, laptop etc. It’s a modern illness It simply shows how many stupid and bigoted people there are out there - this case came to light because he was in the public eye, there are bound to be tens of thousands more that don't get any attention because the people doing it have no public profile. Social Media appears to have the side affect of causing some people to completely lose any filter they may have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin phantom Posted August 30, 2018 Author Admin Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 13 minutes ago, ooRya said: Stupid, yes. Careless, yes. Insensitive, yes. But to lose your career over that? Hmm, a tad harsh in my opinion. I suspect he jumped before being pushed. Just talk to people like Ron Atkinson about losing their career over a moment of madness (and the list goes on) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dolman Pragmatist Posted August 30, 2018 Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 47 minutes ago, ooRya said: Stupid, yes. Careless, yes. Insensitive, yes. But to lose your career over that? Hmm, a tad harsh in my opinion. You can lose your career if someone just makes an allegation these days. The concept of proof seems to be a thing of the past. Public figures know this, so absolute madness to post anything offensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonBristolian Posted August 30, 2018 Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 It's great that the PGMOL are on top of things like this but I'm not sure - although I have not seen the message - it necessarily need be a sacking offence. I think a lot of the problem is these things get very polarised very quickly and you end up with the following pattern on social media: 1) Person A says twattish thing on social media. 2) Person B is quite reasonably unhappy about what Person A has posted and suggests Person A should not have said it. 3) Rather than apologise, Person B digs in and continues to justify whatever twattish thing they have said. 4) Person B gets annoyed and wants an apology. 5) Person A digs in still further and backs themselves into a corner where they have to keep justifying their position. 6) More people pile in in support of Person B and tempers get flared. 7) People pile in supporting Person A, often saying things several times more twattish than what was originally said. 8. Social media war escalates, with people on both sides egging thier supporters onto much more extreme positions than they would otherwise have intended. 9) Everyone gets angry about not having freedom of speech, completely ignoring the fact that freedom of speech means freedom to have arguments and discussions and being "free to say what you want" also means others are free to critique the things that you say. I really think as a society we need to move back towards. 1) People apologising swiftly when they know they have said something stupid and taking feedback on board. 2) People accepting that apology. 3) Everybody moving on. Things don't need to be as toxic and melodramatic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin phantom Posted August 30, 2018 Author Admin Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 8 minutes ago, LondonBristolian said: It's great that the PGMOL are on top of things like this but I'm not sure - although I have not seen the message - it necessarily need be a sacking offence. Agree completely @LondonBristolian but the guy resigned he wasn't sacked I wonder if there was some kind of offer that if he walked away they would keep it out of the public eye, hence why it took until now for someone to unearth what happened? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Port Said Red Posted August 30, 2018 Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 1 hour ago, The Dolman Pragmatist said: You can lose your career if someone just makes an allegation these days. The concept of proof seems to be a thing of the past. Public figures know this, so absolute madness to post anything offensive. Or get a 6 match ban ....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BS4 on Tour... Posted August 30, 2018 Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 19 minutes ago, phantom said: Agree completely @LondonBristolian but the guy resigned he wasn't sacked... The first line of your OP says he was ‘fired’ Phantom? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin phantom Posted August 30, 2018 Author Admin Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 15 minutes ago, BS4 on Tour... said: The first line of your OP says he was ‘fired’ Phantom? Good point - missed that @BS4 on Tour... - don't know why I thought he had resigned? I guess that was insinuated at first? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Brent Posted August 30, 2018 Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 I imagine that whatever he posted was nowhere near as bad as some of the things that were posted of him, although I don’t condone anything he has been alleged to have said. I’m sure many of us have posted similar, or worse, in our professional and personal lives. I also imagine that there are other factors in his personal life that led to his decisions to resign but that’s none of my business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BS4 on Tour... Posted August 30, 2018 Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 1 hour ago, David Brent said: ....I also imagine that there are other factors in his personal life that led to his decisions to resign but that’s none of my business. He was fired DB..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimme Shelton Posted August 30, 2018 Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 I haven't seen this but it sounds like the sort of thing Jimmy Carr and Frankie Boyle make a living out of Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Brent Posted August 30, 2018 Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 19 minutes ago, BS4 on Tour... said: He was fired DB..... Apologies I stand by the first part of my post then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BS4 on Tour... Posted August 30, 2018 Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 3 hours ago, David Brent said: Apologies I stand by the first part of my post then No need to apologise mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BS4 on Tour... Posted August 30, 2018 Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 3 hours ago, Gimme Shelton said: I haven't seen this but it sounds like the sort of thing Jimmy Carr and Frankie Boyle make a living out of Very true....I saw Jimmy Carr at the Colston Hall many moons ago and he started ridiculing ill kids - the audience reaction made him stop sharpish - even as an ‘on the edge’ comedian, there is definitely a line you don’t cross....yet some charge across that line and into the distance.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Horse With No Name Posted August 30, 2018 Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 2 hours ago, BS4 on Tour... said: Very true....I saw Jimmy Carr at the Colston Hall many moons ago and he started ridiculing ill kids - the audience reaction made him stop sharpish - even as an ‘on the edge’ comedian, there is definitely a line you don’t cross....yet some charge across that line and into the distance.... Couple of years ago I saw Lee Evans at the Colston Hall doing one of his pre-tour practice gigs, and he made a gag about Rolf Harris. The sharp intake of breath from the crowd made him say that he was taking it out of the show, and of course he did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhistleHappy Posted August 30, 2018 Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 11 hours ago, RedFencing said: Social media blurs the line between private and public. If you wouldn't shout it in the park, dont put it on social media! Is that where the school sports day race took part, in the park? … anyone know who won btw ? Wot? .. ouch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Hitler Posted August 31, 2018 Report Share Posted August 31, 2018 18 hours ago, phantom said: PREMIER LEAGUE referee Bobby Madley was FIRED for discrimination against the disabled. Madley, 32, posted an offensive and inappropriate message on his Snapchat account that was sent on to league chiefs. The official shared a picture of a disabled man with an insensitive remark about the probability of being able to beat him in a school sports day race. One of his followers then took a screen grab of the comment and took it to his bosses. I love how it morphs across two paragraphs from: "offensive and inappropriate" to the reality of "insensitive" So the bloke gas lost his career for posting an "insensitive" comment against a picture. FFS what a bunch of snowflakes. You don't sack someone for making a bad taste joke on social media unless it directly affects their work, so in this case if he was something like their disabled outreach officer. And before someone reaches for their outrage stick I don't go around laughing at the disabled or think that it's fine to do so; but neither do I think that it's grounds for sacking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob k Posted August 31, 2018 Report Share Posted August 31, 2018 I don’t get offended by much so would probably not have worried about it, i just wonder about Madleys thought process and what he thought would happen when he was sending this picture, there is no way he would not have had some sort of media training specifically about what you should or should not put on social media. He’s an idiot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin phantom Posted January 1, 2020 Author Admin Report Share Posted January 1, 2020 Former Premier League referee Bobby Madley has revealed he was sacked after filming a video appearing to mock a disabled person. In a blog post, Madley said he was dismissed in August 2018 for "gross misconduct on grounds of discrimination". At the time, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) said he had "decided to relocate due to a change in his personal circumstances". "I'm not proud of myself," Madley said. "I have to live with this for the rest of my life. It destroyed my career, my reputation and caused immeasurable damage to my family life." Madley, 34, said he texted a video to a friend where he mocked a disabled person ahead of his daughter's sports day. He said he had previously joked with other parents about his non-participation in a parents race and had been "fat shamed" in a national newspaper. In the video, Madley mocked that he "had a chance of winning the parents race this year". The video then appears to have been passed on to his employers after he fell out with the recipient. "Out of context I accept this reads shamefully," Madley said in the blog post. "I accept that. However my intention was that the joke was aimed at myself. "I sent it as a private text to somebody who I trusted, somebody who understood the context of previous sports day comments and was aware of the fat shaming I had received. "I regret taking the video, I regret sending that video and whilst it was a dark humoured joke it was just that. A joke. It was not intended to shame anyone, it was not intended to be seen by anyone other than the person I sent it privately to in a text message on my own personal phone (not a work phone)." Madley was one of 18 full-time professional referees and took charge of 91 top-flight matches since 2013. He refereed the 2017 Community Shield at Wembley and oversaw 19 Premier League games in 2017-18. "I started refereeing at 16, my career was over at 32," he said. "I had my dream job, a well-paid and incredibly enjoyable job that I loved every single minute of. "The footballs and medals are now all I have to remember those years of dedication and hard work. "I try to help young referees where possible, offering advice on their own blossoming refereeing careers. I stand proud on there to support the fight against racism and to support all within the LGBT community both inside and outside of football. "I am far from a discriminatory person and yet that is what I am labelled as when you Google my name. That hurts. "The last 18 months have been mental torture for me and but for those close friends and family around me, as well as a strong partner, I dread to think what could have become. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AppyDAZE Posted January 1, 2020 Report Share Posted January 1, 2020 He could become a VAR official, because they're taking the piss too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelts Posted January 1, 2020 Report Share Posted January 1, 2020 He sent it to a mate who he subsequently fell out with who then posted it , Bobby Madley didn’t post anything on social media Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winsaw Posted January 1, 2020 Report Share Posted January 1, 2020 On 30/08/2018 at 11:37, RedM said: I don’t know anything about this at all, but it staggers me. What on earth made him post such a post? Saying it would be bad enough but putting it on social media? Did he honestly think he was being funny? Or clever? I am staggered a grown adult, never mind one in the public eye in a position of trust/authority would even consider this for a second. From what I have seen it was one private message sent to a friend after that person had been winding him up for being to fat to win that dad's race at his kids school sports day so was private banter between friends, the problem is they feel out and his now ex friend sent the private message to his boss, a poor private joke between friends but not sure he should have lost his job and life over it I would guess many of us have said similar things in the same context when down the pub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 1, 2020 Report Share Posted January 1, 2020 Should never had lost his job for a private joke, but you have this massive "outrage" mob mentality out there nowadays due to social media. They have to be offended by something all the time, so if he came out and apologised you could bet your house that some sort of group would have got together demanding his sacking, and the FA/PGMOL would have just bowed to the pressure, rather than stick up for him. They just chose to take the easy route out at the time. He should name and shame the sad ex mate who sent it to his bosses - nasty piece of work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonL Posted January 1, 2020 Report Share Posted January 1, 2020 Found this https://therefereesword.blogspot.com/2019/12/time-to-move-on.html?m=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boadle Posted January 1, 2020 Report Share Posted January 1, 2020 On 30/08/2018 at 15:31, David Brent said: I imagine that whatever he posted was nowhere near as bad as some of the things that were posted of him, although I don’t condone anything he has been alleged to have said. I’m sure many of us have posted similar, or worse, in our professional and personal lives. I also imagine that there are other factors in his personal life that led to his decisions to resign but that’s none of my business. How is the wife? Has she left him yet? Forgot, she had left him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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