Jamie Carragher addresses Kate Abdo comment which saw him threatened by ex-boxer (original) (raw)
Jamie Carragher suggested presenter Kate Abdo had not been loyal to her partner, ex-professional boxer Malik Scott, live on air during CBS Sports' Champions League coverage
Jamie Carragher made the comment live on air
Jamie Carragher has opened up on the backlash that came after he suggested on air that presenter Kate Abdo had not been loyal to her boyfriend.
Carragher dropped the awkward gaffe during CBS Sports’ coverage of Arsenal’s win over Porto in the last-16 of the Champions League in March. Manchester United fan Abdo said she was "too loyal" to wear an Arsenal shirt during a pre-match segment, prompting Carragher to quip "not to Malik", in reference to her partner Malik Scott.
Carragher and his fellow pundits Thierry Henry and Micah Richards have a good rapport with Abdo on CBS’ coverage, which takes a more light-hearted approach to its Champions League coverage. But the former Liverpool defender had clearly overstepped the line with his personal comment, which went viral on social media.
Scott, a former boxer, later threatened to "show up in a physical manner" if Carragher ever went too far again. Carragher apologised to Abdo and Scott and the incident is considered water under the bridge now and it acts as a cautionary tale for the 46-year-old.
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“We went viral again for the wrong reasons,” Carragher told The Guardian. “That’s one of the things with the show. Everything is flying around, everyone is saying one liners. You get so carried away. Then as soon as you say something you go, ‘Oh no.’ You just want to take it back. I made my apologies. But the way Kate dealt with it in the next show was amazing.”
He added: “One of the things I love about Kate is that everyone knows there are going to be mistakes on a live broadcast, whether it’s looking at the wrong camera or an interview not going perfect. She just rolls with it. People want everything on TV to go right. But that looks too polished. It needs to be messy to be authentic. She never gets flustered.”
Scott, who previously trained former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, initially reacted with anger to the comment, but has since spoken to Carragher and considers the matter closed. "Jamie had an off moment and said something he shouldn't have said – how many times in life have we all done that," he said recently.
Kate Abdo with her partner Malik Scott (
Image:
Instagram)
Jamie Carragher apologised for his comment (
Image:
Kate Green/Getty Images)
"You chop it up and apologise like men, which he did, and life goes on. I respect anyone who has a mishap and is man enough to apologise to the person and the person's partner. I felt no ill feelings when we met."
Speaking to Boxing News, he said: "I really enjoy the panel, I love the show [and] I'm learning more and more about the sport thanks to Kate and also thanks to them because my favourite part of the show is when they're doing the screen."
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