Essex Cricket Chief Executive, John Stephenson, has issued the following statement:
“I am extremely shocked and saddened to hear of historic racial allegations involving a former player, dating back to 2001. There is absolutely no place for discrimination of any kind at Essex County Cricket Club and we have a zero-tolerance policy towards racism.
“I immediately reached out to the former player to offer him my and Essex County Cricket Club’s full support and to encourage him to come forward and talk to myself and the Club about his experiences.
“We will put the right care in place for him and we applaud his bravery and courage for speaking out on such a sensitive issue after all these years.
“As Chief Executive, I am committed to upholding the Club’s multicultural and diverse values. All allegations, regardless of when they took place, will be investigated thoroughly and urgently. We are working with the ECB to assist us with these investigations.
“There has never been a place, nor will there ever be a place, for any kind of prejudice at Essex County Cricket Club.”
Essex County Cricket Club are encouraging former players, staff or anybody associated with the Club who has experienced discrimination during their time at Essex to come forward either in person or anonymously.
Anybody wishing to report a concern that they believe is of this nature can do so by emailing [email protected].
Alternatively, anybody wishing to raise a concern through a secondary channel can do so by clicking here.
