Counted among the talented uncapped players on the circuit, Nottinghamshire batter Joe Clarke recently opened up about his “embarrassment and shame” for his past involvement in a vulgar WhatsApp group chat with convicted rapist Alex Hepburn.
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Back in 2017, Clarke made headlines for using the messaging app in order to engage in discussions of a degrading game of sexual conquests alongside his then Worcestershire team-mates Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Hepburn. For the unversed, Hepburn was sentenced to five years in jail for raping a woman, who was earlier involved with Clarke.
Even though Clarke was not accused of any wrongdoing, recent talk of an England call-up has met with fierce criticism from people, who are of the opinion that his past sexist actions, and scarce public contrition, make him an unsuitable candidate to represent the country. The director of men’s cricket Rob Key had suggested that Clarke would be considered for selection.
Now, while speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Clarke confronted his past behaviour, saying, “I have done a lot of reflecting. It is a feeling of embarrassment really. Regretful for being part of it.”
The 25-year-old stated that it is an “embarrassment and shame” that he got involved in. Calling it completely wrong, the cricketer said that it upsets him now so he completely understands why people get upset looking at it.
“It is not something I have forgotten about at all. Although I’ve not talked about it publicly I have had a lot of conversations in private with the club here and my family, with women that I am friends with,” Clarke was quoted as saying.
He went on to add, “This is not about playing for England. This is about owning what I did, that I made a mistake and what I did was wrong.”
For the victim, who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, the cricketer feels like he let her down. Clarke admitted that she was ultimately in his company and relied on him for her safety, which he didn’t provide.
Clarke hopes that the victim has found happiness now and has managed to move on.
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