Former Manchester United Manager David Moyes is now in his second job after Old Trafford, and his current job seems to be going as well as his last two gigs. After “leading” Real Sociedad to 16th place, right above the drop zone, he was sacked by the Spanish La Liga club. After that flameout, he was hired by Sunderland, who are currently dead last in the table.
Yes, 20th place out of 20, and his troubles don’t stop there.
David Moyes apparently took issue with BBC reporter Vicki Sparks asking him if he was feeling more pressure with Sunderland owner Ellis Short in attendance of his side’s 0-0 draw with Burnley.
When the cameras were on, Moyes was not rattled at all by the question. However, when he thought he was off the record, threatening remarks were made to the journalist. Moyes said the following to Sparks which was captured on a phone camera.
“Just getting a wee bit naughty at the end there so just watch yourself … You still might get a slap even though you’re a woman,” Moyes said before adding: “Careful the next time you come in.”
The Football Association called for Moyes to explain his remarks. The Black Cats boss has since apologized for the comment, and the BBC says that Sparks has accepted that apology. She also never made a formal complaint about the incident. You can hear the audio for yourself below:
The fact Vicki Sparks is not making any noises regarding the incident shows it was not done with any malice #banter pic.twitter.com/cSBRBw5odP
— Jimmy McBride (@jimmymcbride1) April 3, 2017
“It was in the heat of the moment and I deeply regret the comments I made. It’s certainly not the person who I am,” Moyes said.
“I accept it was a mistake and I’ve spoken to the BBC reporter who accepted my apology and hopefully we all move on.”
A lot of laughter is heard in the back and forth, and thus many have interpreted his remarks to just be joke. However, some things you don’t joke about and beating a woman is certainly one of them. This was a huge mistake on his part, and his “joke” was in extremely poor taste.
https://twitter.com/taritariboblog1/status/848945713975132162
Given how Moyes’ reputation is quite poor right now (and understandably so), it’s difficult to remember all the success he had at Preston and Everton before Sir Alex Ferguson made him The Chosen One and his career entered a complete downward spiral.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times and NBC Chicago.com, contributes to Chicago Tribune.com, Bold, WGN CLTV and KOZN.
Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Sound Cloud, LinkedIn and YouTube