Sports

Derby's Lowe criticises BBC pundit's 'racial ignorance'


Max Lowe: “I do not think it is acceptable for myself and my team-mate Jayden Bogle to be judged by the colour of our skin”

Derby County player Max Lowe has said he is “shocked” by comments from pundit Craig Ramage on BBC Radio Derby that suggested “young black lads” should “go back to basics, working hard”.

Ex-Rams midfielder Ramage was speaking on the Sportscene Podcast after their 1-1 draw with Huddersfield Town.

Lowe, 22, posted on social media calling out “racial ignorance, stereotyping and intolerance”.

The BBC said the comments were “entirely unacceptable”.

Former England Under-21 international Lowe said he had decided to “speak out on behalf of black players at Derby County”, including fellow full-back Jayden Bogle, 19, whose recent performances, along with Lowe’s, came in for criticism by Ramage.

During the broadcast, Ramage, who the BBC confirmed would no longer work with the corporation, said: “When I look at certain players, their body language, their stance, the way they act, you just feel, hold on a minute, he needs pulling down a peg or two.

“So I’d probably say that about all the young black lads, all the young advice if they wanted it, that, you know, it’s about, when you are struggling for form, you are going through a sticky patch, it’s about going back to basics, working hard, and doing the right things.”

Ramage later apologised “unreservedly” on Twitter “for a comment that I made after yesterday’s game”, adding it was “wholly inappropriate and unintentional” and that “race is irrelevant to the issues that I was discussing”.

Following the podcast’s publication, Lowe posted a statement on Instagram