Melbourne Renegades Captain Chris Gayle Fined For Suggestive Comments

West Indies cricket player Chris Gayle was recently fined but managed to avoid suspension for making inappropriate comments to a female reporter in an interview on live TV during a Big Bash League Twenty20 match in Australia.

MELBOURNE RENEGADES CAPTAIN CHRIS GAYLE FINED FOR SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS

Gayle scored 41 out of 15 for the Melbourne Renegades in a win over the Hobart Hurricanes on Monday night, the team’s former captain insinuated to TV reporter Mel McLaughlin that he would like to go out with her for a drink, after commenting on her appearance.

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland stated on Tuesday, in agreement with many others, that Gayle’s comments were inappropriate for the workplace and his behavior bordered on harassment. Due to this incident, Gayle was fined $10,000 Australian dollars ($7,300 USD).

“It was done in jest but it’s inappropriate,” Renegades chief executive Stuart Coventry stated. “We had a look at some history and… we think that this is a one-off scenario.” The fine will be donated to charity.

Coventry and Gayle both apologized to McLaughlin, with the player defending his comments as a ”simple joke.”

”There wasn’t anything meant to be disrespectful or offensive to Mel. If she felt that way, I’m really sorry for that,” Gayle was quoted as saying by Australian Associated Press. ”There wasn’t any harm meant in that particular way.

McLaughlin said in a TV interview on Tuesday that she accepted the apology and wanted to put the incident behind her. Channel 10 head of sport David Barham was quoted by the Herald Sun newspaper as announcing that Gayle would no longer be fitted with a microphone for on-field comments.