SUNDERLAND, England (AP) - Sunderland manager David Moyes “deeply regrets” telling a female BBC reporter she might get a slap.
The Scottish coach was being interviewed by Vicki Sparks after a Premier League match against Burnley on March 18 when he says: “You were just getting a wee bit naughty at the end there, so just watch yourself. You still might get a slap even though you’re a woman. Careful the next time you come in.”
Moyes and Sparks were laughing during the exchange and the reporter did not make a complaint.
“It was in the heat of the moment,” Moyes said Monday in a statement after British newspaper the Daily Star published video of the exchange. “I deeply regret the comments I made. It’s not the person I am.
“I accept it was a mistake. I spoke to the BBC reporter who accepted my apology. Sunderland have known about it for two weeks. Sometimes these things happen in the heat of the moment.”
Sunderland said the matter was resolved amicably.
“Mr. Moyes has apologized to our reporter and she has accepted his apology,” the BBC said in a statement.
Moyes, however, was criticized by British shadow sports minister Rosena Allin-Khan, who called on the English Football Association to take action.
“This is disgraceful. David Moyes cannot get away with these sexist threats - the @FA must take action immediately,” Allin-Khan wrote on Twitter.
Sunderland, which is in last place in the Premier League and eight points adrift of safety, plays at Leicester on Tuesday.
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