It’s been a busy time for Chris Gayle, what with all the cricket and offending female sports reporters.
But amid claims by Fairfax that he allegedly exposed himself to a female staff member during last year’s ICC cricket World Cup in Australia, Gayle has lawyered up with Mark O’Brien, who represented Joe Hockey in legal action against Fairfax last year.
Per The Australian, the West Indian cricketer has launched three separate defamation actions against Fairfax Media newspapers as a result of the reports.
Gayle’s London-based management company Insignia Sports International said yesterday the cricketer’s lawyers had commenced defamation proceedings in the NSW Supreme Court against The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times “concerning the page-one story falsely claiming he acted indecently during the 2015 World Cup”, per The Oz.
The matters are listed for direction on February 26.
Fairfax papers reported that the woman walked into the dressing rooms to collect a sandwich, under the impression that no one was in there, when Gayle allegedly pulled down the towel he was wrapped in and said, “Are you looking for this?”.
Gayle immediately denied these claims following the publication, with his management releasing a statement that said:
“Chris Gayle has strongly denied allegations first published by Fairfax Media that he indecently exposed himself to woman during last year’s World Cup in Sydney.
“Despite such denials Fairfax Media continues to publish the false and defamatory allegations which have received widespread re-publication in media throughout the world.
Gayle, now playing with the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League, has denied the incident took place.
Fairfax has chosen not to make any comments on the legal action.
