Proteas head coach Mark Boucher has said it was common for players to be given nicknames with racial connotations during his career, and that while he didn’t make up any derogatory nicknames himself, he wished to apologise ‘for any real and perceived inappropriate behaviour by me’.
According to a report on Sport24, Boucher was responding to former spinner Paul Adams’ testimony that he was a victim of racism during his playing days. Adams played 45 Tests for South Africa between 1995 and 2004.
Testifying at Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) Social Justice and National Building (SJN) hearings last month, Adams said he was called ‘brown shit’ during team fine meetings over the course of his career, and that Boucher was among the players who sang songs at those meetings that featured the nickname.
In a written submission, Boucher acknowledged that, while he did not give Adams the nickname, nicknames with racial undertones were commonplace in the Proteas dressing room.
‘I have listened to the hurt some of my team-mates felt, the feeling of exclusion and some totally unacceptable and inappropriate examples of alleged racism that they endured,’ Boucher wrote.
He went on: ‘In that environment, lots of us had nicknames for each other which had a racial connotation, and we all called each other those names – the Black African guys, the African guys, the Asian guys, the White guys.
‘I was also given a nickname which made reference to my skin colour by one or two players, but I can categorically say I did not give Mr Adams the nickname “’brown shit”.’
At the time, Boucher wrote, ‘I thought it was playful banter within a team environment in which we all participated as a normal part of team dynamics, I deeply regret and apologise for the part I played by joining in with my teammates in singing offensive songs or using offensive nicknames.’
[Image: NAPARAZZI, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34459321]