Dangerous precedent set

During the course of last week, Cricket West Indies (CWI) President Ricky Skerritt must have felt that the annual hurricane winds and accompanying rains had arrived two weeks ahead of schedule. Every time the subject of cricket in the region appeared in the media it was a deluge of bad news.

On the weekly Tuesday Talk Show, Mason and Guests, on the Voice of Barbados, CWI Chief Executive Officer Johnny Grave reiterated similar sentiments expressed by Mr Skerritt himself on the same programme in April, that there was an absolute possibility that cuts in players’ salaries and staff layoffs could be in the making if the overseas tour to England in July, the forthcoming visits of New Zealand and South Africa, and the T20 World Cup were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The “Business Situation Assessment and Financial Review – 2019” prepared by the financial consulting group Pannell Kerr Foster (PKF), which had been commissioned by the Skerritt Administration (after attaining office in April, 2019), and had only previously been referred to, at the CWI meeting December 5 – 6 2019, in St Maarten, had fallen into the hands of the media, and worrisome details began circulating in the media, on Friday.

The CWI release from that meeting had stated that the “high-level review reported in great detail on CWI’s challenging financial landscape, and its endemic cash-flow crisis. Following careful investigation and analysis, it made pragmatic recommendations related to Presidential office accountability and `chain of command’ realignment, Board oversight, procurement system implementation, and the need for improved cash management and cost control. The report also identified concerns related to the current model for compensating member territories”.

Disturbing details emerging from the 60-page PKF report included fundamental problems in the core accounting system, and mismanagement “issues have contributed, directly or indirectly, to the deteriorating financial position for over a decade. Their impact will continue unabated unless major definitive and orchestrated steps are taken immediately to regularise the situation”. Other damning details include the probable use of CWI as the conduit for a money-laundering transaction and a questionable loan from a major sponsor to an international business company associated with a former CWI employee.

On Sunday, President Skerritt issued a statement acknowledging that several of the 28 recommendations made by the PKF Report, which had been unanimously adopted by the CWI Board back in December, had “already been fully incorporated into the day to day operations” of the organization.

Mr Skerritt added, “I can confidently assure you that at no time was there any decision taken by the Board or anyone associated with CWI to ‘hide’, ‘conceal’, ‘withhold’ or ‘hold-back’ the PKF report.

“However, in light of an apparent recent access to some of its contents by the media, the CWI Board will now have to contemplate whether it may be appropriate at this time for the report to be shared publicly.”

However, disturbing these incidents might appear to be, they are not a direct reflection on Mr Skerritt, since the COVID-19 crisis is beyond his control, and the ball, at least for now, appears to be rolling in the right direction on the PKF Report, which really focuses on the sins of the previous administration.

What should be of immediate concern to President Skerritt is the return of the ugly head of insularity in West Indian cricket during his reign in office, a matter which needs his urgent and immediate attention. On Friday, Chris Gayle, the former West Indian Captain, issued an apology for the YouTube videos he had posted on April, 27th , in which he launched a scathing attack on the Jamaican Tallawahs franchise for not retaining his services for the forthcoming Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season (SN editorial, Battling Father Time, 6/5/2020).

The apology, at best, can be described as ‘weak milk-and-water’, and makes no mention of the scathing attack launched on his former West Indian teammate, and past West Indian Captain, Ramnaresh ‘Ronnie’ Sarwan. Two excerpts from the lame duck statement are worthy of further review.

“In so far as my resentment at the treatment, I stand by my comments in those videos. My words were spoken from the heart,” Mr Gayle stated. “I stand by my comments?” Are these words of apology? No, Mr President. In the man-in-the-street lingo of today, that translates to, “I, Christopher Henry Gayle do not give a rat’s ass what anyone thinks, and I intend to stick to my words.”

Where is the so-called apology? Here it is, “Having said that, I must be honest and say that I now realize how portions of my comments may be viewed as being damaging to Cricket West Indies, and to the CPL Tournament and its brand…” Mr Gayle spent immeasurable time in those 45 minutes lambasting the character of his former good friend and teammate, and yet he doesn’t see the need to make mention of that fact in this excuse of an apology.

It only gets worse, as you are fully well aware, Mr President. The CPL Committee Chairman, P J Patterson, former Jamaican Prime Minister, and a lawyer by profession, issued an accompanying statement accepting this joke from Gayle.

The following is excerpted from the Chairman’s statement.

“Having circulated the complaint, the CTC unanimously decided that it satisfied the prima facie test. In accordance with its Disciplinary Powers it authorised the establishment of an independent threemember Tribunal to hear the matter.

“Notwithstanding, intense efforts were made to settle the charges for the benefit of CWI, CPL and Mr Gayle, before empanelling its members.

“These efforts have resulted in an acceptance by Mr Gayle of the need to issue the statement attached hereto. This was received by the CTC and shared with the CPL and CWI to the satisfaction of all parties. Given the assurance of Mr Gayle to act in good faith, it therefore is no longer necessary to empanel a Tribunal.

“The CTC, the CPL and CWI therefore consider the matter closed.”

“Intense efforts were made to settle the charges… before empanelling its members.” So, the disciplinary tribunal never met? No fine. No suspension. The matter is now closed. Something smells awfully fishy here.

Let’s go back a few years, to November 2016, when Darren Bravo issued this tweet on Twitter, “You have been failing 4 d last 4yrs. Y don’t u resign and FYI I’ve neva been given an A contract. Big idiot @davec51,” in response to a media comment by then CWI President Dave Cameron that Bravo’s performances did not merit being placed higher than the C Category contract he had received.

Bravo was immediately dropped from the team for the next tour, a Tri-series in Zimbabwe. Later, he was forced to remove the tweet and issue a proper apology, before his return to the West Indies team.

President Skerritt, earlier last week you had stated that Mr Gayle would receive some form of sanction, and it is quite clear that none worthy of the deed has been issued. No doubt, you are very well aware that a dangerous precedent is being set on your watch. You need to exercise the powers of your office now, and demand that Mr Gayle immediately removes those videos from YouTube and issues a proper apology.