In a fresh turn of events, Geoff Parling, Leicester Tigers' former lock, has issued another apology following a contentious altercation with TNT Sports presenter Craig Doyle. The incident, which was caught on camera and swiftly circulated, showed Parling pushing Doyle during a warm-up session, leading to a substantial backlash.
The commotion kicked off when TNT’s Liam McDevitt took a spontaneous kick at the posts, unaware that the Leicester squad was prepping right underneath. Parling, clearly agitated, confronted the presenters, physically ushering them off the pitch, an action he later defended as an attempt to "protect my players" from potential injury due to the unexpected kicks. “The producer from TNT has just come and apologized to me,” Parling revealed. “They had something set up that wasn’t passed with anybody without our knowledge. I’m very wary, we need to protect my players, and certainly balls flying towards our players that could go anywhere, where there’s an injury risk, and I’m obviously not going to be happy.”
"I would like to apologize for the incident pre-game yesterday – it is important we stay a family-focused game, and it wasn’t appropriate for young fans to see that,"
Parling stated, acknowledging the inappropriateness of his actions in the heat of the moment.
Despite his initial defensive stance, the social media storm that ensued prompted both Parling and Leicester Tigers to reconsider the situation. A club statement described the response as "unnecessary" and highlighted their commitment to sportsmanship and fan experience, especially for younger audiences. “Ahead of the Slater Cup game yesterday, an incident occurred during the warm-up where TNT Sport presenters took a kick at posts under which Tigers players were warming up,” the statement clarified. It continued, “Whilst this was contrary to standard practice and – as always – the well-being of those players under the posts was Geoff Parling’s primary concern, Leicester Tigers and Geoff Parling accept that the response was unnecessary and would like to apologize unreservedly to everyone involved.”
Both Parling and the club have extended private apologies to those directly affected at the ground, expressing gratitude towards Doyle and the TNT team for their innovation and cooperation in moving forward. “After talking last night, we’ll make sure we are fully aligned behind new ideas, including when best to use them, and keep pushing our game to new audiences,” Parling concluded, hoping to put the incident behind and focus on promoting rugby to new and existing fans alike.
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In a fresh turn of events, Geoff Parling, Leicester Tigers' former lock, has issued another apology following a contentious altercation with TNT Sports presenter Craig Doyle. The incident, which was caught on camera and swiftly circulated, showed Parling pushing Doyle during a warm-up session, leading to a substantial backlash.
The commotion kicked off when TNT’s Liam McDevitt took a spontaneous kick at the posts, unaware that the Leicester squad was prepping right underneath. Parling, clearly agitated, confronted the presenters, physically ushering them off the pitch, an action he later defended as an attempt to "protect my players" from potential injury due to the unexpected kicks. “The producer from TNT has just come and apologized to me,” Parling revealed. “They had something set up that wasn’t passed with anybody without our knowledge. I’m very wary, we need to protect my players, and certainly balls flying towards our players that could go anywhere, where there’s an injury risk, and I’m obviously not going to be happy.”
"I would like to apologize for the incident pre-game yesterday – it is important we stay a family-focused game, and it wasn’t appropriate for young fans to see that,"
Parling stated, acknowledging the inappropriateness of his actions in the heat of the moment.Despite his initial defensive stance, the social media storm that ensued prompted both Parling and Leicester Tigers to reconsider the situation. A club statement described the response as "unnecessary" and highlighted their commitment to sportsmanship and fan experience, especially for younger audiences. “Ahead of the Slater Cup game yesterday, an incident occurred during the warm-up where TNT Sport presenters took a kick at posts under which Tigers players were warming up,” the statement clarified. It continued, “Whilst this was contrary to standard practice and – as always – the well-being of those players under the posts was Geoff Parling’s primary concern, Leicester Tigers and Geoff Parling accept that the response was unnecessary and would like to apologize unreservedly to everyone involved.”
Both Parling and the club have extended private apologies to those directly affected at the ground, expressing gratitude towards Doyle and the TNT team for their innovation and cooperation in moving forward. “After talking last night, we’ll make sure we are fully aligned behind new ideas, including when best to use them, and keep pushing our game to new audiences,” Parling concluded, hoping to put the incident behind and focus on promoting rugby to new and existing fans alike.