FORMER DARTS WORLD champion Eric Bristow has apologised for suggesting football sex abuse victims were not “proper men”.
The 59-year-old, who was sacked by Sky Sports in the aftermath of his offensive comments on social media, where he also said: “Might be a looney but if some football coach was touching me when I was a kid as I got older I would have went back and sorted that poof out.” He then went on to say he meant “paedo” not “poof”.
He also claimed that darts players were “tough guys” while footballers were “wimps”.
Today, the five-time world champion appeared on Good Morning Britain claiming that he made the comments on Twitter to encourage children to notify the correct authorities, but later accepted his comments were offensive.
“I want youngsters now to go out and complain straight away. There’s no point complaining 30 years later,” he told the show’s host Piers Morgan.
However, Bristow was confronted by Marilyn Hawes, the founder of the charity Enough Abuse, who was another guest on ITV’s flagship morning programme, and a mother of three sexually abused children.
“I find you the most deeply offensive man that’s breathed oxygen, and quite frankly if I had a set of darts, I would stick them where the sun don’t shine,” Hawes said.
“I sat with people last night that you have harmed immeasurably. And if you think that what you’ve said is clever, let me take you through what a bully is. You are a bully.”
Bristow then admitted his comments were upsetting for abuse victims.
“It was worded wrong. I apologise, it was a miswording. They are not wimps,” he said.
A statement later released on Bristow’s Twitter page said he hoped that his comments will help victims come come forward quicker and that all money received for any interviews conducted will be donated to relevant charities.
Comments are disabled as legal proceedings are ongoing.
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