Paul Merson admits his former Sky Sports colleague Matt Le Tissier was given "a couple of warnings" before he was let go by the broadcaster.
The Southampton legend was a long-standing member of the Soccer Saturday panel, providing insight and commentary on various fixtures. However, following the coronavirus pandemic, Sky made a host of personnel changes as they looked to freshen up their line-up.
Le Tissier was one of several names, alongside Phil Thompson and Charlie Nicholas, to be given their marching orders. It came after Le Tissier was particularly outspoken regarding the outbreak of the pandemic - views that he aired on social media. Merson concedes that certain opinions are better left unsaid, with his friend and colleague being warned previously.
He told Rob Moore's YouTube channel : "We're close, me and Matt. The thing I said to Matt, which is a compliment, but sometimes not: 'sometimes it is not always clever to be clever'. If you have certain beliefs, you don't have to share them.
"I've just done the radio now and a friend of mine, who is a top bloke, Trevor Sinclair, done something. He believes that but he probably shouldn't have said it, know what I mean? Tis had a couple of warnings - so if you have a couple of warnings you pull it in. Sometimes it helps me not being bright.
"I love Tis, he's one of the best English footballers there's been. But I didn't get involved in the Covid stuff, the conversations, etc. I'm not that bright, so I don't say anything."
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Le Tissier has claimed that Sky sacked him for his controversial beliefs, which included suggestions that those affected by the virus in China looked "inauthentic". The former Saint argued that the timing of his departure suggested that his opinions had not gone down well.
He said: "I went into working in the media from 2002 onwards until late August 2020, which was an interesting scenario where I lost my job. Obviously the pandemic started in 2020 in March - and very early on in that I had my doubts as to what was really going on. I felt early on there was a massive overreaction to it by the governments. And that's where it all started for me with questioning the narrative and probably ended up with me losing my job at Sky."
Amid mounting pressure, Le Tissier also stood down from his ambassadorial role at Southampton in April, stating: "My views are my own and always have been, and it’s important to take this step today to avoid any confusion. This does not affect my relationship with and love for my club."
