Soccer

Jermaine Jenas ‘speaking to lawyers’ after BBC sacking

Former Match of the Day and One Show presenter says he’s ‘not happy’ following dismissal amid allegations that he sent unsolicited messages to a female colleague

Jermaine Jenas: 'I’m going to have to let the lawyers deal with it. You know, there’s two sides to every story.' Photograph: Nigel French/PA Wire
Jermaine Jenas: 'I’m going to have to let the lawyers deal with it. You know, there’s two sides to every story.' Photograph: Nigel French/PA Wire
Fri Aug 23 2024 - 17:06

Match Of The Day and One Show presenter Jermaine Jenas is “speaking to his lawyers” after being sacked by the BBC amid allegations he sent unsolicited messages to a female colleague.

The former Premier League player said there were “two sides to every story” after his axing by the corporation, adding that he is “not happy” and will be taking legal advice.

It is the latest blow to the BBC after the Huw Edwards child abuse scandal and bullying allegations on Strictly Come Dancing.

Jenas, 41, who has been married to Ellie Penfold for 13 years, will also not appear on radio station talkSPORT in the “immediate future”.

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He began co-presenting a talkSPORT drive-time show with fellow former footballer Jermaine Pennant, moments after it was announced he had been removed from all BBC presenting line-ups.

TalkSPORT said: “There are no plans for Jermaine to broadcast as a presenter on talkSPORT in the immediate future.”

Jenas did not address news about his sacking during the live broadcast on Thursday evening and left the News UK building after the radio show in a car.

Jenas, who played for Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest, told talkSPORT News in a brief interview: “Look, I can’t really talk about it. I, as you can probably see, I am not happy about it.

“But currently, as it stands, I’m going to have to let the lawyers deal with it. You know, there’s two sides to every story, as we know. So, that’s all I can say right now.”

When asked about reports that he sent unsolicited messages to a female member of staff at The One Show, he replied: “Like I said, I’m not happy about this situation. You know, I’m going to be speaking to my lawyers about it is all I can say right now.”

Jenas declined to elaborate what the complaint about him related to, whether it concerned more than one colleague, if he was surprised a complaint was made against him, when he was first aware that a complaint had been made and when the BBC told him he was being sacked.

He also declined to answer when asked if legal proceedings were under way, whether he felt he would be able to continue working in sports presenting, or the industry as a whole, or if he felt he should apologise to anyone about his departure from the BBC.

“I can’t talk about that right now. I’ve just got to leave this to a team of lawyers at the minute who are, yeah, I suppose just managing the situation,” he said.

“This is . . . Yeah, it’s tough, you know. But I’ve got to listen to my lawyers.”

A BBC spokesperson confirmed that Jenas “is no longer part of our presenting line-up”.

According to BBC News, the 41-year-old had his contract terminated after issues were raised involving digital communications, such as texts, in recent weeks.

BBC chief content officer Charlotte Moore said she was aware of the situation but could give “no more information” following an approach by PA news agency after she spoke on a BBC panel at the Edinburgh TV Festival.

According to official figures published last year, Jenas earned £190,000 to £194,999 for his work on the FA Cup, Match Of The Day and the World Cup at the BBC.

His salary for working on The One Show was not in the public domain, as it is produced by BBC Studios.

Jenas appears on TNT Sports’ football coverage from time to time but it is understood he is not scheduled to appear for a number of weeks.

It is understood TNT Sports was unaware of the status of Jenas’s employment with the BBC.

The father-of-four joined The One Show in 2020 as a stand-in co-host following the departure of Matt Baker. He was made a permanent fixture the following year.

Jenas has been a regular pundit on sports programmes Match Of The Day and Match Of The Day 2 and a presenter on BBC Radio 5 Live.

He has been widely regarded as a natural successor to replace Gary Lineker as host of Match Of The Day, but was noticeably absent from Saturday’s first episode of the new season.

In May he was given an ally of the year award by the Women’s Football Awards.

During his football career, he appeared for England and played for Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers.

Jenas also hosts Formula E race coverage for TNT Sports.

His agency MC Saatchi no longer represents him and his profile on the site now displays a “page not found” notice.

A spokeswoman for talkSPORT said: “We were made aware of a breaking news story involving Jermaine Jenas as he went on air for a one-off presenting slot on talkSPORT Drive.

“We made a decision – with Jermaine – that he should continue to present the show.

“Given the array of serious allegations being reported as the story continues to evolve, it’s for Jermaine as a private individual to address them in the way he chooses.”