Premier League player could be punished for homophobic tweets from 2012
Burnley striker Andre Gray is facing possible discipline by the English Football Association for homophobic tweets he made four years ago -- even though they were made before the FA instituted the rule that's being used to punish him.
Gray scored his first Premier League goal in Burnley's 2-0 win over Liverpool on Saturday. After the goal, fans began to re-share some of Gray's old tweets in which he had made homophobic comments.
Gray has since deleted the tweets but screenshots are still making the rounds.
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Additional offensive tweets were also brought to light.
Gray, who is 25 years old, took to his Twitter account on Saturday evening to share an apology for his comments, saying, "I have a lot of regrets regarding a number of things I've done in the past and realize I have made some big mistakes, none more so than these tweets, but I would like to stress that I've worked incredibly hard to completely transform my life since that time."
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On Tuesday, the Football Association charged Gray with misconduct for two specific tweets (including the 2012 tweet posted above), saying the alleged comments "were abusive and/or insulting and/or improper and/or brought the game into disrepute."
Gray has until August 31 to respond to the charge.
Though Gray made the comments before the FA implemented the rule they're citing, FA Rule E3(1) and E3(2), the association has, as SBNation notes, been consistent in applying the rule in other similar cases.
While some fans have questioned the four-year gap between offense and punishment, the FA has focused on efforts to battle the prevalent homophobia that remains ingrained in the sport's culture, both on the pitch and in the stands.
"He has moved a long way in life," Burnley manager Sean Dyche said Tuesday. "He's made that clear with an apology and also to remind the club, 'It's four years ago, I'm a different person.'"
Additional reporting by the Associated Press
Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.
