Spit shame football pundit Jamie Carragher returns to Sky Sports
Premier League pundit Jamie Carragher has returned to his role at Sky Sports for the first time after being suspended for spitting at the young daughter of a fan who was taunting the ex-player.
Carragher, 40, appeared on Sky’s Premier League Launch Show on Tuesday, which previewed the upcoming top-flight season in England ahead of kick-off on Friday.
It was the first time the ex-Liverpool and England defender had appeared in the role at Sky since being suspended in March, when he was filmed spitting from his car at a Manchester United fan.
The supporter had been taunting Carragher after United had beaten his former club earlier in the day.
The former Liverpool player responded by winding down the window of his Range Rover and spitting at the fan’s vehicle, hitting the supporter’s 14-year-old daughter in the passenger seat.
The pundit subsequently apologized for his actions, saying it had been “a moment of madness,” although he was relieved of his duties at the broadcaster for the remainder of the season.
Sky Sports officials have since accepted his regret at the incident, and he is expected to return to his full punditry role for the coming season.
The player, who made more than 500 appearances for Liverpool, is said to earn £1 million (US$1.3 million) a year for his role at Sky.
During his suspension from the role he had continued to work with Danish broadcaster TV3 Sport to cover Champions League matches, and he had made a brief appearance on Sky during the World Cup to discuss England's semi-final versus Croatia.
On Tuesday night’s show, Carragher rejoined former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville to preview the season.
They also took part in a competition which saw Carragher win a bet, meaning that his fellow pundit Neville will need to don a Liverpool shirt.
He’s always wanted to wear @LFC shirt! pic.twitter.com/ka5ipcLkvq
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) August 8, 2018
Social media users responded with a mixed reaction to seeing Carragher return to their screens, with some questioning the decision and others welcoming him back.
I'm quite surprised Jamie Carragher got his job back at Sky Sports, after the spitting incident. In most other spheres of endeavour, he'd have been sacked.
— Segun Agbede (@SegunThePundit) August 7, 2018
Mental that Richard Keys and Andy Gray got the boot from Sky Sports for their sexist comments but Jamie Carragher is allowed to return after spitting on a child 🤔
— KEV (@SHADYBASED) August 7, 2018
Great to see carragher back on sky sports 👌🏻
— Rory kemp (@Rorokemp) August 7, 2018
His fellow pundit Neville had backed him folowing his suspension, saying he had made a "big mistake" but that he should not lose his job over the incident.
