Richard Keys, Sky Sports presenter has today resigned form his post after colleague Andy Gray was sacked on Tuesday for indecent behaviour after being caught saying to Charlotte Jackson, 'Can you tuck that down there?' as he prepared to go on air. He has now been fired from his £1.7million-a-year job.
Both presenters were caught making sexist remarks on TV when Lineswoman Sian Massey was helping to officiate a game on Monday night which was broadcasted live on Sky, although there remarks were not live on TV there microphones were still on and they were unaware the remarks would be picked up.
In his apology, the former Scotland international said: 'I am very sorry that certain comments made by me have caused offence. Such comments were made off-air to work colleagues, and were of course never intended to be broadcast.
'I was very upset when the comments were brought to my attention, and it was my intention to apologise on Monday night when I was back on air for the Bolton v Chelsea game.
'Sadly I was unable to do so as I was suspended from the show by Sky Sports and have now been sacked. Football is my life and I am devastated by losing the job that I love.'
Since then, Richard Keys appeared on Talksport radio today stating that he is undecided on whether to resign from his position and alleged that dark forces were working behind the scenes.He said that after apologising to Massey on Sunday he had asked if he could publicise that his apology had been made and accepted.
The presenter said: 'I was told no, and 24 hours passed by which time the world had gone mad.
'Now, I don't know why I was told no, I don't know why I was stopped from telling people that that's what I had done.'
Keys insisted he had tried to ring West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady who he also mentioned disparagingly in the off-air conversation with Gray.
He said: 'I tried to ring Karren twice on Sunday night she didn't answer the phone.'
Keys also went on to add; The Sky presenter referred to his position in the past tense during the radio interview – and suggested other members of the presenting team should be implicated in the sexism row.
He also said he ‘could not believe’ the furore that has blown up over his comments about Sian Massey.
‘The clips are fairly selective. They have targeted two individuals it might not be that they are representative of what goes on in the studio which is our dressing room,’ he said on Talksport.
‘All I can do is sit here and apologise. There is no place for what happened in the modern workplace and I am very sorry.
‘I cannot believe the fury that has blown up. If I had been in a position to say sorry on Sunday it would have. I think because no one said anything they thought we were arrogant and dismissive.
‘I’m taking a kicking and I deserve it’.
After fellow presenter Andy Gray was fired on Tuesday as part of the controversy, Keys gave that decision as part of his reason for going.
"I am deeply sorry for my remarks and the offence they have caused; it was wrong and should not have happened," Keys said in a statement.
"I have thought long and hard and reached the decision that it is time to move on. Going forward without Andy would have been almost impossible.
"I am and will remain proud of our work with football at Sky Sports and grateful to the many people who have worked with me. I wish Sky Sports continued success in the future."
