Richard Keys reflected on his argument with Laura Woods earlier this year following his comments following the death of Gabby Logan’s father Terry Yorath.
Richard Keys clashes again with Laura Woods (Image: BeIN Sports)
Richard Keys has called for more respect from Laura Woods after the two TV hosts clashed on social media. Keyes went viral for the wrong reasons on X after posting about Terry Yorath’s death.
Welsh football icon and Leeds United legend Yorath died in January at the age of 75. He was the father of Gabby Logan, a famous sports presenter and television personality.
Mr Keys, 68, a former Sky Sports and beIN SPORTS presenter, drew heavy criticism for the bizarre eulogy. “Saddened to hear of Terry Yorath’s passing,” Keyes wrote.
“He was a warrior and he charmed the fans wherever he played. He was great for us at Coventry and was the reason I got Gabby (Logan) to work at Sky. I had no idea who she was when we met, but her father did. Rest in peace Terry. Your daughter has made you proud.”
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ITV and talkSPORT presenter Woods replied: “I’m sorry, my God. I wasn’t surprised.”
Keyes was taken aback by the backlash, but later tried to clarify his comments. But months later, Woods’ words still seem to sting. “I have never described senior members of my profession as being ***,” he told the Telegraph. “Please be a little more respectful.”
In a subsequent post about X, Keys tried to clarify his point. “It is unfortunate that my words to my footballing hero have been completely misunderstood,” he wrote.
Laura Woods called Richard Keys a ‘t***’ on X (Image: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
“Terry Yoras was an amazing man. A warrior. My love for him meant I was willing to help him and his family in any way I could. Gabby’s career would make any father proud. Rest in peace Terry.”
Keys returned to the UK after working for Qatari broadcaster beIN SPORTS for 13 years. He moved to west London with his wife Lucy, 31 years his junior, and gave an interview to the Telegraph to reflect on a range of topics.
Keys and his long-time colleague Andy Gray moved to Qatar after their scandalous departure from Sky Sports and the UK in 2011. They were forced to leave after footage emerged of them making sexist comments about assistant referee Sian Massey. The incident, Keyes later claimed, was a “setup” orchestrated by “dark forces” to get them ejected.
Gabby Logan branded Richard Keys a ‘dinosaur’ (Image: Alex Livesey – Danehouse, Getty Images)
This infamous incident, along with another personal encounter, led Logan to characterize the pair in his 2022 memoir as “dinosaurs awaiting extinction.” And Keyes acknowledged that his and Gray’s methods led many people in the wrong direction.
“We were bullies,” he said. “We had to be bullied to get into this industry, but the culture was really from within. We became bullies as people. That’s no excuse, because today it’s not acceptable.
“It was a culture that existed, and it had to be that way for us to make it successful. I hesitate to say that because it sounds like I’m making excuses. I’m not. I acknowledge that. But I also know that if it hadn’t been that way, we wouldn’t have been able to make it successful.”
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