Michael Vaughan has revealed he attended a diversity and inclusion course after being accused of directing racist comments at Yorkshire teammates.
Former England Test captain Vaughan, 47, was in charge at Yorkshire in 2009 when the county made history by selecting four players of Asian descent for the first time - Azeem Rafiq, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Adil Rashid and Ajmal Shahzad.
In what proved an explosive testimony before a DCMS committee last year, during which Rafiq spoke of his experiences of racism in English cricket, he alleged that prior to the game Vaughan had said: “There’s too many of you lot, we need to do something about it."
In light of the allegations, a series of historical tweets posted by Vaughan between 2010 and 2018 also came under scrutiny.
As a result, he was stood down from his work as a pundit with BT Sport and Test Match Special during the Ashes series down under, although he did commentate for Australian network Fox Sports.
Vaughan, who famously led England to their home Ashes win in 2005, continues to strenuously deny ever making the comment at Yorkshire, but has expressed his regret over certain social media posts.
And in an interview with the Telegraph, he explained how he was encouraged by Simon Green, the head of BT Sport, to partake in the course.
Despite admitting initial reluctance, he said the course had been an "education" for him.
“I wouldn’t say I was so stubborn to think that change in society wasn’t happening, and that I wasn’t aware and understanding of it.
"I thought I was actually very modern and forward thinking in what we’re all trying to achieve in society. But clearly there was a lot I didn’t know. I can say that from doing this course, I know that I’m a miles better person now than I was."
Vaughan added the course had taught him more about 'white privilege' and the experiences that ethnic minority groups often have to endure.
"I’ve never got into a lift and stood next to a lady with a handbag and she puts the handbag on the other shoulder because of the colour of my skin. I’ve never arrived at a conference and had someone say ‘Are you here to deliver the food?’ because of the colour of my skin. These are the things I’ve learnt.”
“I’d love to be working again this summer, that’s all I’ll say. People will say Vaughany’s only doing this because he wants his job back. But that’s certainly not the case.”
