Rugby pundit Francis apologises ‘profusely’ for homophobic comments

Rugby pundit Neil Francis has apologised unreservedly for negative comments he made in relation to gay people and sport after his remarks on Sunday attracted widespread criticism, including from gay sportsmen.

Speaking on Today FM’s Last Word programme yesterday, Mr Francis said he was “in a field of landmines” and “stood on one or two” during a Newstalk panel discussion the previous day that touched on the topic of homosexuality in sport.

“My language and the analogies I was trying to make were quite poor and quite poorly expressed,” he said. “It’s unusual for me not to be able to articulate myself, but on this occasion I was unable to do so.”