Michael Vaughan says ‘being cancelled has been hell for my household’

Michael Vaughan has advised of a two-year nightmare for him and his household earlier than he was cleared of constructing racist remarks. The former England captain mentioned his life was virtually destroyed after being “cancelled” – together with by the BBC – as was assumed to be “guilty until proven innocent”.

On Friday, Vaughan was cleared of utilizing racist language in the direction of Azeem Rafiq, his ex-Yorkshire teammate, and three others at Trent Bridge in June 2009.

A disciplinary inquiry dominated he didn’t say to the gamers of South Asian heritage: “There’s too many of you lot, we need to do something about that.”

Vaughan, 48, burst into tears on listening to he had been cleared.

His spouse, Nichola, had been taking beta-blockers for stress and waking up at night time “crying her eyes out”.

Vaughan, awarded an OBE for main England to Ashes glory in 2005, mentioned: “She knows how hard I have worked for 32 years and she could see that it was falling apart. I got a sense people wanted to see the back of me.

“I’ve been telling people that I’ve not been watching cricket, putting this screen up to suggest that I could do without it. But cricket is my life. It’s all I really know.”

The dad of three tried to guard his household. He mentioned: “I’ve tried to stay strong. I said to Nichola, ‘Even if it goes against us, it’ll be fine,’ knowing full well that it would not.

“She has struggled more than anybody. She’s better today, but it’s going to take time.

“My kids were getting direct messages, saying ‘Your dad’s a racist.’ That’s when I knew I was in a very difficult situation.”

He frightened about his mother and father Graham and Dee. He mentioned: “In their last years they’re going to be seeing their lad… That hit me hard.”

He mentioned being “cancelled” is “so dangerous”, including: “You’re now guilty until proven innocent. 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 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.”

The BBC, who pulled Vaughan’s Radio 5 present over the allegations, need him again as a commentator on Test Match Special for this summer season’s Ashes. He has nonetheless to decide on his return.