Neil Francis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117661819#Comment_117661819

No it isn't, unless you are looking for it to be. Smith's natural complexion is white from the photos I have seen, Franno was commenting on his tanned appearance, I posted up two recent articles, the photos look like two different people.

sydthebeat

Haha we'll leave it there so.....

ArmaniJeanss

Posters on boards not knowing of Smith's heritage is fair enough (I didn't know).

Someone getting paid €3K/€4K an article, but not knowing about it, is surely a completely different issue. There's such a small body of players (maybe 200) that you'll ever be writing about that it would seem basic procedure that you'd have a thorough knowledge of the background/key facts of them all. Its just journalistic pride really and so simple nowadays.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117661819#Comment_117661819

And around we go. It's almost like someone is looking for attention. And I don't mean Smith.

olestoepoke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117656126#Comment_117656126

The only thing silly is this post, the term "woke" was most certainly not made up by idiots to discredit others. The term originates as far back as the 1930s. In modern times it was popularised by popular artists such as Erykah Badu, Pussy Riot and then more recently the term "stay woke" was widely adopted by the BLM movement, a quick internet search could have cleared this up and saved us all from your ignorance. As for racism, and it being impossible to be racist to pale skinned people in the western world. What a ridiculous statement, racism is defined by the BBC in an article made for children (to keep it simple for you) as;

'Racism can be most simply understood as someone behaving differently to another person based on the colour of their skin or culture".

Ask any white person that has lived or travelled in the US about "western racism" the average tourist to the US maybe wouldn't experience it but white people living in places like NYC most definitely experience racism.

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117661925#Comment_117661925

why would smith be looking for attention ???

he didnt do anything to cause this controversy.

i think your fixated on him for some reason... skin colour maybe ??

Asus X540L

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117654688#Comment_117654688

lol that picture does make him look like an oompa loompa!

This is a bit like saying Gareth Bale looks like a chimp, but if you said the same thing about a player from Africa God help you. You'll be put on the same level as Hitler.

The Nal

Shame his old wikpedia page is gone

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Neil_Francis_(rugby_union)&oldid=605470235

swiwi_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117661487#Comment_117661487

I have an issue with the word colored. It’s coloured. Unless you’re dubinusa.

arsebiscuits1

Skimming through 6 pages of this thread and it makes a bit more sense why people like Franno actually had a job, clearly a disappointing amount of like minded individuals

Shocking amount of people who are going to strange lengths to defend an extremely unpleasant man.

.... or Franno has made a load of alt accounts. But to be fair to these closeted bigots, some of their spelling and grammar is marginally better than ol Neil

BattleCorp

I'm not a rugby head nor am I very familiar with Neil Francis other than I vaguely remember him playing rugby for Ireland years ago.

That said, I wouldn't consider what he said to be racist. Pretty much everyone in Ireland knows that Oompa Loompa refers to fake tan. I can't say for sure because I can't see into Neil Francis' head but he probably thought yer man was wearing fake tan like Gavin Henson used to wear. I think it was a comment about him being a pretty boy rather than being a dig at him because of his race.

Deusexmachina

It just saddens me. Keyboard warriors delighting in the downfall of others. I suspect you wouldn't call him a racist to his face somehow.

I enjoyed his columns. There are very few decent writers on rugby in this country.

lawrencesummers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117662967#Comment_117662967

Keyboards warriors delighting in the downfall of ignorant rude homophobic racists.

just to be clear like.

jacothelad

While not supporting Francis in any way, I am uncomfortable with the consequences for anyone losing their income because of a mistake.....which surely it was...and for which he apologised. He may be awful but there are many folk in positions of influence in Ireland, North and South whose past actions should really mean they are in jail. Where is the outrage about them? Absent by and large. I don't like him or his writings. Once on live t.v. he described Ulster as a team of plastic paddies without people getting hot under the collar. If it was a blatantly racist statement then he deserves what he gets but I somehow think it probably wasn't meant in that way. How many of us gleefully referred to Henson as Tango. I hope it was in that spirit that he spoke.

arsebiscuits1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117662967#Comment_117662967

Works both ways though doesn't it?

How much of the incendiary tripe that Francis has written over the years would he actually say to the people he wrote it about?

Reckon he'd call out Smiths tan in front of him?

Think he'd tell Nathan White to his face that he looks like he's been poured into a jersey and someone forgot to say stop?

It's just reaping what he's sown.

As for would I personally say what I thought of Neil to his face? I absolutely would not. And the primary reason of this is why would I want to ever speak to Neil Francis? He is a hateful person who would be undeserving of my face to face attention

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117663011#Comment_117663011

Live by the sword...

I would have sympathy with this view if it was a once-off but Franno has been gleefully living life close to the edge for years. Also he's a crap analyst so no loss there.

Deusexmachina

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117662980#Comment_117662980

You are the author of this little gem - imagine if you went to print in a National Paper with this:

I actually think the abuse the england players got isnt Racism first and foremost but anger manifesting itself as racism, and its anger exasperated because of alcohol misuse and gambling losses. 

I dont question that its racist, it defiantly is, its just that those people who treated the players like that after the game werent racists when they decided to support the team which included black players at the start of the game.

If they were actually fully fledged racists then they wouldn't ever dream of supporting a team that has a coloured or non 100% english player on it.

As people they are so ignorant and stupid that cant be racist properly.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117661907#Comment_117661907

More likely 500ish per article if even that. You would have the bones of 150 professional players in Ireland alone. Most international squads are 50 ish. In the UK there is 13 clubs in the premiership. Probably close to 500 professional players before you start accounting for coaches and managers.

The PC brigade expects now that nobody is entitled to a mistake. It's immaterial whether NF was ignorant, nasty or right wing. What it is that matters is someone life and livelihood can now be destroyed for making a mistake. Not only that the mistake could 30+ years ago. I remember using the ryme Einny Menie Minny Mo we all know how it goes in national school 40 + years ago.

Look at the Derek Daly the Irish F1 driver. He went to the states in the mid 80 to drive Indy cars. After a few successful races he was interviewed by a journalist and referred to himself as ''the **** in the woodpile''. The journalist made him aware of the connotations of the word in the US. DD apologised and said he did not associate it that way. Roll on 30 years and it was reported that he was a racist and used this expression. He lost his job as a TV broadcaster but as well his son a racing car driver lost a car sponsor.

The connotations now of not being PC are horrendous for individuals. Loss of a job, earning, businesses etc.

stephen_n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117661700#Comment_117661700

Because we need to repopulate our ignore lists after the update.

stephen_n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117663011#Comment_117663011

At what point does a series of mistakes become a pattern? If this was the first time Francis had done something like this. Then that’s fair enough but it’s just one of many. He simply doesn’t have the credit in the back to ride this out.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117663172#Comment_117663172

This story about the tenor Ronan Tynan is nuts

A flippant off-hand / in-joke comment in a private conversation and his New York livelihood is poof - gone.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-20166672.html

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117663172#Comment_117663172

Francis has not lost his ability to write or comment. Why do you think he has?

Plus, it's very much not "one mistake" with him..

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117663573#Comment_117663573

He will not be employed by any newspaper or radio station from now on. He can write all he like but he will not get paid.

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117663634#Comment_117663634

so... youre saying he hasnt lost his ability to write columns....

its just that publications dont want to be associated with his views

well good then

noc1980

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117663172#Comment_117663172

Your comment about the "PC Brigade" showing zero tolerance towards anyone making a mistake now is spot on. What's weird is most liberals oppose the death penalty in the US and globally they're typically more willing to give prisoners another shot at life than the right. Liberals tend to believe in rehabilitation more than punishment.

This policy ends when it comes to bad jokes or a poor choice of words though. Then there can be no rehabilitation, no forgiveness and a total unwillingness to accept that mistakes can be made. I've looked at the rise of Trump and the far right in recent years wondering how anyone could buy what they're selling but the more absurd this woke business gets the more the appeal of the other side begins to make at least some sense.

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117662980#Comment_117662980

But it's well know that he's not racist. Couldn't tell you about his thoughts on other stuff but I'd suspect he's open to everything.

It's as clear as day that he sees a guy potentially becoming the David Beckham, as in famous for his looks, of rugby and doesn't like it.

David Beckham was a great footballer imo btw.

eagle eye

Twitiots is my name for those on Twitter who spin everything into racism or homophobia. This is where all this crap is coming from would be my guess.

I closed my social media accounts a while back, world is a much better place without them.

Podge_irl

No one is well known for not being a racist. Its just not a thing.

jacothelad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117664081#Comment_117664081

Father Ted......🤩

I am no fan of Neil Francis. But remember that right wing rag of the Sindo also gave the biggest embarrassment in the country, Eoghan Harris the platform to defend the Brits and support Brexit at the expense of Irish interests.

Thankfully both men are gone from that clickbait of a rag. The Indo/Sindo have zilch editorial standards and resort to getting right wing journo hacks to antagonise and ridicule SF for FG political gain to satisfy their political agenda.

Remember Francis’ support of private schools who play rugby, “under threat from SF” article over a year or so ago. That was such an elitist article and just showed the type of character NF was and still is to this day.