Michael Vaughan opens up on the pain of ‘cancel culture’ following the Azeem Rafiq affair

Michael Vaughan has outlined the damage wrought on him and his family after being cleared of using racist language in the direction of Azeem Rafiq and other players of Asian descent. 

The former England captain had been accused by Rafiq of saying, ‘there’s too many of you lot, we need to have a word about that’ in reference to Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s players of Asian ethnicity when entering the field against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in June 2009. 

He was charged, along with Yorkshire and six other former players with bringing the game into disrepute. Gary Ballance had previously accepted wrongdoing and accepted his charge. 

However, the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC), which heard evidence between March 1-9 after a nine-month long investigation by the ECB, cleared Vaughan of wrongdoing on the balance of probabilities. Vaughan had been the only respondent of the charges to give evidence to the Commission. 

Speaking to The Telegraph, for whom he is a columnist, in the aftermath of his being cleared of the allegation, Vaughan outlined the ways in which cancel culture had damaged both his and his family members’ lives over the past two or so years.

The former England captain was cleared of allegations of racism by the ECB earlier last week 

Azeem Rafiq was one of those Yorkshire players of Asian descent who was allegedly the subject of Vaughan’s comments in 2009 

‘I can absolutely tell you that it’s real (cancel culture),’ he said. ‘And it comes through social media. It’s so dangerous. You used to be innocent until proven guilty. You’re now guilty until proven innocent. Your life gets completely put on hold. 

‘Whatever the accusation thrown at you, people on social media just will not allow you to carry on with your life while it’s over your head.’

‘I’m not the man to change that. I haven’t got the strength at the minute,’ he added.

‘I hope that in time, people realise that it’s not a fair process when accusations hit somebody’s doorstep and they’re not allowed a proper process to clear their name before they get cancelled. People’s lives are getting stopped far too soon.’

The CDC said in its verdict: ‘The Panel is not satisfied on the balance of probabilities that these words were spoken by MV [Vaughan] at the time and in the specific circumstances alleged.’ 

Speaking about the hurt caused beyond himself, Vaughan spoke of the concern he had for his three children, who he admitted had all been impacted by the tumult of the previous few months and years.

‘The little one has had huge anxiety problems. She’s a worrier. She can see that Dad’s on the phone all the time, that I’m having deep conversations, and she wants to hear things,’ he revealed. 

His oldest son, Archie, is trying to plot his own way into the game and Vaughan admitted concern for how the allegations against him might impact the teenager. 

‘He’s away, and he was a big concern of mine. He’s a great lad, trying to be a cricketer himself, and I was so fearful that what I had been accused of saying, if it had gone the wrong way, could affect him,’ he said.

His eldest daughter, Tallula, had been studying for her A-Levels in the midst of the case against him. 

‘It’s not just my immediate family, it’s my nieces, nephews. Everyone connected to me would have been linked to this situation.’

The Commission began at the beginning of March and heard evidence from a number of those involved, including Vaughan and Rafiq. 

Of the eight charges levelled against Yorkshire and the players, seven were upheld. 

Rafiq himself, speaking to the BBC in the aftermath of the CDC’s findings being published, said he felt ‘vindicated’, irrespective of Vaughan being absolved of the allegations against him. 

The incident was said to have happened moments after a team huddle prior to a T20 match against Nottinghamshire in 2009 when Vaughan was alleged to have said to a group of Asian players including Rafiq: ‘There’s too many of you lot, we need to have a word about that’

Vaughan (right) could return to join the BBC’s commentary team ahead of this summer’s Ashes 

‘For me, from day one, I’ve tried to make sure this doesn’t become about individuals,’ said Rafiq. ‘I spoke about my experiences and what I went through. I’ve done that openly from day one and it’s been corroborated by players, coaches and other people present.

‘Of course I’m disappointed [about Vaughan’s charge being not proven], I don’t agree with all the findings but I respect them.’

He added: ‘It’s been tough, really tough, but it has made the game start to confront the institutionalised racism that’s been going for decades and decades.

‘Let’s not be naive, we have seen a large part of the cricket community are still very hesitant to change. When you speak on racism, it’s never going be comfortable, it’s never going to be a perfect route through and it hasn’t been. It’s been tough on everyone.’

The ECB brought charges against the club, Vaughan, Ballance, Tim Bresnan, Matthew Hoggard, Andrew Gale, Richard Pyrah and John Blain. 

All of the charges levelled at Gale and Blain were upheld, while some of those for which Hoggard, Bresnan and Pyrah were accused were upheld.