Kellie Harrington. Was she hung out to dry or did she hang herself out to dry?

evolvingtipperary101

Kellie Harrington deleted a tweet on immigration back in October. She was questioned on it here:

https://twitter.com/offtheball/status/1640383179814215682?s=20

She released a statement after the interview here:

https://twitter.com/Kelly64kg/status/1640475577156083722?s=20

Is this someone from a working class background, without a third-class education based on middle-class culture/values and its language, being used for clout in the media? Is this a boxer being asked to address issues beyond their station? Has Kellie Harrington as an Irish ambassador, funded by tax payers money (massively underfunded to my limited knowledge), and an ambassador to local communities under this Spar sponsorship (they're using her face and achievements to launch something) got to answer for her tweet rather than say no comment?

Thelonious Monk

why did she tweet basically insinuating that immigrants are likely to be murderers? she's a brand ambassador for spar, every spar in ireland probably has immigrants working for them. she could have said something like it was a heat of the moment tweet due to the horrific crime and i deleted it aftewardsa. instead she rolls her eyes and says she stopped listening at diversity. just a dopey move on her part by all accounts, she brought this on herself.

ec18

Whatever her opinion I think there's too much expected of sports people in general to be fully up to day and paying attention to all the rights and wrongs of politics and society. Just let her be a boxer and leave it at that. Michael Jordan famously never got involved in anything other basketball talk (albeit for commercial reasons) maybe we should stop expecting more of sports people than just being pros

also OTB are really going down the clickbait route

TheWonderLlama

Has she tried not being a racist?

Should we all be racist now? What's the Church's position? I'm so busy down on the farm I won't have much time for the ol' racism.

magicbastarder

i haven't seen the interview, but understand there was a PR person in the background clearly audible at times?

if she has a PR person, why wasn't she better briefed about how to handle questions about that?

Deeec

I think everyone is entitled to their opinions and shouldn't be judged. She is a sportsperson not a politician. This shouldn't have been bought up in the interview. He should have moved on quickly.

It was difficult watching that interview - he was out of order.

Xander10

Her response reminded me of another boxer when asked about his friendship with Daniel Kinahan.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410220#Comment_120410220

Oh, I'm happy to judge someone based on their opinion.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410296#Comment_120410296

The mistake she made was posting her opinions - big mistake when you are a public figure.

She never went on that show to discuss immigration and it shouldn't have been bought up. He definitely hung her out to dry!

jarrybutt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410190#Comment_120410190

Do you think it's not possible for immigrants to pose higher risks than natives?

Of the highest profile murders in the last couple of years, the perpetrator was an immigrant. (Aisling Murphy, Sligo murders)

It's head scratching that people don't think that people who come from countries where there's high crime, poor treatment of women would pose a higher risk.

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410331#Comment_120410331

it's a f**king stupid thing to say immigrants pose a higher risk, never mind tweet about it as a high profile person. the word immigrant describes a huge spectrum of people in ireland. you wouldn't say a similar thing like black people pose a higher risk, because it's braindead.

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410314#Comment_120410314

he handled it very professionally and gave her ample opportunity to respond to the incident properly, couldn't have done a better job in my opinion.

she may never get another sponsorship now and it's entirely her own fault whether you think the wokeratti nazis are too harsh on her or not, she made her own bed.

89897

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410220#Comment_120410220

Everyone is entitled to an opinion but when someone in the public puts and moreso a brand ambassador for a community company puts an opinion out like that they have every right to be judged and questioned as do the company they are ambassador for!

She handled that terribly, "you lost me at diversity" it just an awful response. I do feel like whoever that PR person was should have had her prepared for the interview. The following statement and apology is not never going to be taken as sincere given the timing of it.

If she wants to be a sportsperson and that alone then she needs to keep away from these things.

enricoh

The twitterati will have a field day on this. There's the trial coming up of the two gay lads beheaded in sligo - there won't be a peep out of them over that.

Rte looking at signing the interviewer as I type!

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410368#Comment_120410368

No he didn't handle the interview professionally at all! He was peddling his own agenda career wise and trying to make himself appear woke. She wasn't doing the interview to discuss immigration.

Yep he has damaged Katie's sponsorship deal and public profile. The idiot also damaged his own career though - media companies won't be lining up to employ him either!

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410392#Comment_120410392

what do you want the twitterati to say about those murders? that islamic fundamentalist lunatics are bad news? don't we all agree on that?

Donald Trump

Who is the beardy gobshite with the laptop and the mic? Does he have many Olympic medals himself?

jarrybutt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410352#Comment_120410352

Do you have any stats to prove immigrants don't pose a higher risk?

It would seem to me when watching news that immigrants are over represented in serious crimes like murders, stabbings, rapes, sexual assaults.

Amirani

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410396#Comment_120410396

I don't think you understand how the media or "media companies" work to be honest.

He absolutely conducted the interview professionally, which seems to be the consensus from any journalist I've seen discuss it. As correctly pointed out by Dan McDonnell, this wasn't a "boxing interview", this was a brand ambassador interview, and her previous tweet was in clear clonflict with the tagline for the event. To not ask the question would have been poor interviewing.

elefant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410396#Comment_120410396

She was being paid by Spar to do an interview promoting positive change and impact in communities. It's probably fair, and not too taxing, to ask if it remains her opinion that immigration has a dangerous impact on communities.

FrancieBrady

She deleted the tweet almost immediately, because she felt it came across wrongly, fair enough.

The 'journalist' in an interview about her sport, decided to ambush her about something she regretted doing, and she clearly states this is how she felt.

A decent media outlet wouldn't have broadcast the clip.

I know which one came out of this with some integrity and it isn't the journo.

jarrybutt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410432#Comment_120410432

I'm sure Spar were aware of the tweets and if they had concerns, would have discussed it with Kellie.

What was Hannon trying to do then?

It's a high bar for Hannon to keep now. Lots of hypocrisy on off the ball, such as they go on and on about the gambling issues yet have gambling sponsors for the show and give major air time to a sport that wouldn't be a sport without gambling.

bucketybuck

I'm no fan of Harrington but I listened to the first 2 minutes of the clip in the OP and the interviewer can go **** himself. She is right, she went on a sports talk show and the little prick decided to make a bollocks out of her.

Fuck him and all the sanctimonious weasels that will try to justify his bullshit.

DownByTheGarden

I think all people should just give up tweeting. Theres always someone waiting to jump on you no matter what you say or what you even meant to say but garbled the words. Used to be a time when you would say something, it would come out arsways and you take a breath and try and say it again.

Now you type anything and its pounced on. Just dont tweet or give your opinions with your name attached to it.

sheriff2

Not hung out to dry, but i think she panicked and taught however she answers will be reflected badly.

I honestly think this has been blown out of proportion, and is one of the worst "going after" of someone I can remember over nothing. Now shes being branded a big racist.

Regarding the deleted tweet wasnt it about a girl murdered in France, was it factual?

CorkRed93

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410448#Comment_120410448

she was not on for an interview solely about her sport though...

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410432#Comment_120410432

Oh no I do understand media and his bosses will not be happy with how behaved in that interview.

He should have dropped the line of questioning when he seen she was uncomfortable. Trust me he flunked his career despite what other journalists mates are saying.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410506#Comment_120410506

Ok, show us another sports person on the OTB site being harrassed about deleted tweets?

jarrybutt

Kellie should have turned it around and said why does Hannon work for a show that talks about gambling addictions and issues yet is sponsored by gambling companies and gives so much air time to a sport that wouldn't be a sport only for gambling.

CorkRed93

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410539#Comment_120410539

"harassed" ffs would you listen to yourself. he handed her an open goal of a question and she jumped down his neck. she embarrassed herself plain and simple.

Furze99

Why the surprise at this? People who box aren't exactly known to be the brightest sparks. You don't expect them to be founts of wisdom, just to knock the crap out of each other.