Gary Reinker left the BBC after sharing an anti-predisposed post on his social media account earlier this year, revealing that his early departure was enacted on him
Gary Reinker confirmed that it was a BBC decision not to himself, but to leave the company, after the presenter shared an anti-Semitic post on social media.
The 64-year-old Lineker shared a pro-Palestin video with a mouse emoji earlier this year. It led to a pouring of rage, asking the BBC to plunder the line car rather than allowing the former English striker to see the rest of his contract.
It was announced in May that Lineker would leave the BBC at the end of the 2024-25 season.
However, in a new interview with the New World, Lineker reveals what actually happened before his exit.
When asked if leaving was his choice, or if it was the case of “stop or stopped,” he replied: “the latter.”
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Looking back at the incident, he said: “I missed it (a mouse emoji). To be honest, I wouldn’t have understood the meaning anyway until it was pointed out to me. I really didn’t see it. I wasn’t an idiot. I might not have known it was anti-impressive.
“I don’t do that on purpose. It’s the biggest self-harm I’ve ever done. But yeah, it was a tough few days.”
Linecar, which had been scheduled for a new season and BBC coverage of the FA Cup at the 2026 World Cup, quickly deleted the post and issued a public apology.
That alone wasn’t enough, and the decision was made to make an early appearance, rather than appearing in the 2025-26 season.
In a statement released at the time, Lineker once again apologized.
“I care deeply about the games and the work I’ve done with the BBC over the years. Like I said, I don’t consciously repost anti-Semitism.
“But I recognize the error and upset I caused and repeat how sorry I am.
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