Lynsey Sharp has released an apology to a large part of Scotland after her shocking, bile-filled tweet at the weekend.
Yesterday, social media erupted after a national newspaper ran the story about her actions, which were highlighted on this website.
Most Scottish football fan sites were uproarious with anger at her behaviour.
Certain Sevco sites were gleeful, embracing her more warmly than ever.
Says a lot for the people who post on them, right?
Today, as the outcry shows no signs of abating, she is sticking to the stonewall strategy, which is to say that she’s telling the world that she didn’t know what the phrase meant.
Without wanting to accuse her of being full of it, it says a lot that her only viable defence is to plead absolute ignorance and stupidity.
There can be few people in Scotland who are unaware of the context of that statement.
From the reaction of her social media followers, especially those of a blue hue, she would have picked up the meaning pretty damn quickly.
Yet it took her two full days to issue this response, and she’s since made her Twitter feed private, which I suppose could be interpreted as not wanting the hassle.
Yet it could equally be seen as someone who knew there was more to find for anyone who wanted to look.
Forgive me for being cynical, but she’s not the first person to pull this particular stunt.
It’s called ring and run.
It’s as old as the game of football itself.
Which brings me to the statement, which is full of little curiosities.
“I did not fully understand the meaning of what I wrote at the time but accept now what was said was in extremely poor taste,” she said.
Poor taste?
Well, that’s one way to put it.
If Big Stein were still alive she could have added the word “defamatory” to that statement.
Maybe it’s just me … but can a comment really be “in poor taste” if, in all honesty, you hadn’t realised what it was that you were saying?
Thoughtless. Yes.
Poor taste, though?
Isn’t that what end of pier comedians used to say about their sick jokes?
“I would never have written it if I had thought people would have taken my words in the way many of them have,” she added.
Which really means nothing at all.
It’s what you would expect someone to say if their sponsors and their agents were screaming down the phone at them for their sheer idiocy.
“It was an error of judgement on my part which I deeply regret and I apologise for any offence or distress I have caused.”
Once again … I find the language a little odd, like something a PR person wrote in a hurry.
After all, a mistake is not an “error of judgement.”
You don’t lose your job for making a genuine mistake.
You don’t throw yourself on the mercy of the court of public opinion over it.
You say “I made a mistake, I apologise” and you move on.
An “error of judgement” is an admission of guilt, isn’t it?
That’s what politicians call it when they are caught with their hands in the till or their knickers around their ankles, or when they make up crap during an election to smear an opponent and then get found out.
Maybe I was involved in politics too long.
Maybe I’ve become a hardened cynic.
Maybe I read that tweet, made as it was on 12 July, when a certain sub-sect of humanity thinks it can do and say and act as it likes because they are The Peepil, and I see a nod and a wink to the gallery of goons.
Maybe I see another third rate celebrity who thinks status confers immunity, knowing all it would take was exactly this kind of mealy mouthed apology for the circus to move on.
Except that it won’t.
Because or apology or not, the silver medal athlete is now the Sevco fan who tweeted about the great Jock Stein.
That’s the legacy she’ll be remembered for long after that medal has two inches of dust on it.
I said yesterday that I could not conceive of a way to get past this, that I could not in all honesty ever imagine cheering her on or wishing her well again.
24 hours after writing those words, I remain just as firmly convinced of that.
As a second placed runner she’ll forgive me for this analogy.
She was too slow out the gate, and the effort too half-hearted.
As far as I’m concerned, the damage is done.
James
Maybe her comments are written by someone who according to wiki
has a 2:1 degree in LAW
still the same bigoted girl.
Who is her main Sponsor?
Nike
SHARP Apoligises come on think about it she supports them and has done for many years and she is coming out by saying she did not know what her comment meant and what the consequences could bring her sponsor/s should do the right thing and dispose their sponsorship and show how much that this comment has hurt not only celtic football club, celtic supporters but. The late great mr jock stein’s family & friends.
James
I read her excuse about the tweet being about Jock Wallace ,that summed her up for me .
The fact that the man she is defaming helped tend to the dying and injured in the horrible disaster that befell Rangers supporters ,seems to mean not a jot to these despicable cretins who voice this phrase as nothing more than GIRUY pathetic point scoring bile .
It really was a damning indictment of the old club as to the size of their following who sang and even sold flags and scarfs on the back of some drunken hate filled bigot that dragged his pathetic baggage filled carcass to their football ground (IMO not for his interest in football but more likely his interest in sectarianism ).
I agree with you totally regards her being remembered for this ,if only for which side of The Rangers Football support she falls into and it isn’t the real football supporting side ,that’s for sure .
This slur still hangs around – despite overwhelming proof to the contrary. I’ve been informed that Jock Stein’s son, George (?), was a member of the Celtic Boys’ Club at one time. If so, does anybody really think that his father knew – and did nothing about it?
I hope she falls and breaks her fucking leg. Seriosuly I want her to fuck her career up on her own stage.
She deserves no sympathy or understanding from any right celtic supporter. There is forgive and forget if you are truly contrite for your actions. She is not. 1/ becasue she knew exactly what she was doing. ALL ZOMBIES know who the slur is aimed at. 2 She is an educated slag…a lawyer ffs. She again would and should know better and like most good lawyers are good liars and that is exactly what Ms Sharp is. I hope she is dropped and sacked for her actions and we as decent people regardless of our football affiliation should be out to make her an example to remind the larger society that just becasue you are Ra Peepil that you can’t do what you want and say what you want because it is the Glorious 12th.
Sorry Lynsey you are a liar and should be treated as one.
PR written apology that in many ways shows she had an inkling of what she meant.
She should explain that she fully understands the meaning of the “Jock knew” now.
Regret any harm done to his family.
Regret the slur on Scottish football greatest manager.
Regret the trivialisation of child abuse.
Then we might think she has learnt a lesson.
‘They say there is no such thing as bad publicity’. I don’t see that applying here. Had never heard of her before, but I will not forget, she’s nothing more than a bigoted HUN.
She’s totally alienated herself from every decent person in this bigoted wee country and the pathetic excuse just adds to her vileness.
She was second at the Commonwealth Games which puts her mediocrity into perspective.
Another no mark vile trash talking hun who doesn’t even have the courage to be honest about it.
We all know that she knew the import of what she said and this comes on the back of the bigotfest in Norn Iron where Swastika and Confederate flags were prominently displayed.
The peepil truly are the scum of the planet.
How do we go about getting a huge boycott of her sponsors and also get her dropped from the British team. She knew EXACTLY what she was saying but, even though she can nearly run fast, she is arrogant enough to think she could get away with it. So when it all dies down and she’s still running for Britain she’ll be laughing at us like we’re all stupid . . . She wins for once, in the stupidity race! Hope her career is destroyed by this, the sick *******!
Sorry FSTB, if you are implying in your last sentence that there are decent sevco supporters, I have to disagree. If one supports that club then you condone everything about them. If you don’t condone it then I don’t imagine anyone would choose to support them.
For those who say they are not bigots all I would say is, if you don’t condem, you condone. No excuses.
There are no decent sevco fans by definition.
Lynsey Sharp knew
SOMETHING MUST BE DONE ABOUT THIS DISGUSTING BIGOT .SURELY HER SPONSORS MUST ACT BY DISOWNING THIS VILE ATTENTION SEEKER
Apologies not accepted,we know what you are and will never support you.
I. Hope your carrier declines you bitter Zombie.
Hail Hail
THIS DISGUSTING BIGOT MUST BE MADE TO PAY FOR THIS DISGRACEFUL COMMENT.SURLEY HER SPONSORS MUST ACT AND ACT NOW
CAN SOMEONE START SOME SORT OF ONLINE PETITION TO ACT AGAINST THIS UGLY VILE BIGOTED TROLLOP.LETS ACT NOW .
This is the level that most of the Sevco are only to happy to wallow in as their club continues to be a source of amusement for every football fan in Scotland.
No investment, no money, no Nomad, no auditor, no bank line of credit, payday loans to keep the lights on, new manager dealing in the free transfer market of the lower English leagues, Ashley hanging about in the background who can bring the whole thing crashing down with a snap of his fingers.
This is the reality they find themselves in and they will deflect anything that they think takes the attention from them.
I knew Sharp was a Sevco fan, I didn’t know she is just as much a bigot as those good Christian clan members who were burning effigies of the Pope and the Virgin Mary on their bonfires yesterday. I’m sure the PSNI would not have stood by applauding these actions if it had been the Phophet Mohammed going up in flames.
She’s a bigot and a liar to boot, calming not to know what she said actually referred to.
Surely the police should be having a word with her and the Stein family should be consulting their solicitors……….this trollop should be made an example of and will make her kin think twice about repeating these slurs
Big Jocks family would have more dignity than to chase up a daft wee Hun c-nt like her. Hh
Ye she new alrite..Just a anotger bigoted Dob who thinks child abuse is Hilarious..She should be made to publicly appologise on the telly to let everyone no wgatvtype a person she is..A bigoted hun
She shouldn’t represent Scotland again she should be sacked and loaned back to Rangers FC .
So this is what can be expected in today’s modern Scottish society. Her feeble and lame excuses fails to hide the hate and bigotry that still exists, hidden under rocks, in back street lodges and in the uneducated minds of the bigots.Ridiculed peeeple, they may be, laughed at world wide, left behind in a twisted time warp, in many ways they are Scotland’s own ISIS.
No harm to her, but I hope she breaks an ankle which destroys her career. Dirty Dirty horrible person that she is! A lawyer? don’t make me laugh! I’d trust a banker more.