On Friday, the ECB's Cricket Discipline Committee (CDC) announced its verdicts on the six players against whom the ECB had brought charges of bringing the game into disrepute over the alleged use of racist and/or discriminatory language. John Blain, Andrew Gale, Rich Pyrah, Tim Bresnan and Matthew Hoggard refused to engage with the disciplinary hearings that took place in March and all but Hoggard denied the charges; Hoggard made qualified admissions. Michael Vaughan denied the charges and turned up to defend himself. Yorkshire and Gary Ballance admitted to the charges against them before the hearings began. It followed a process first brought about by Azeem Rafiq's accusations of institutional racism at Yorkshire more than two-and-a-half years ago. Here is a summary of the CDC's verdicts on the six individuals charged.
Andrew Gale (Former Yorkshire captain and coach)
Charge Used the term "Rafa the K*****" towards Rafiq in June 2008 and towards Rafiq on other occasions between June 2008 and the end of the 2010 season.
Verdict Both proved
Charge Used the term "P***" in September 2009, when Rafiq overheard Gale calling him an "arrogant P***" and on other occasions towards and/or about Rafiq between June 2008 and the end of his first spell at Yorkshire in 2014 and/or during Rafiq's second spell at Yorkshire in 2018 and in 2013 referring to Mosun Hussain, a Yorkshire Academy player, as a "shit P***" during training.
Verdict All proved
Tim Bresnan (Former England and Yorkshire fast bowler)
Charge Used the term "the brothers" towards Rafiq, Adil Rashid, Ajmal Shahzad and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan during the warm-up prior to a T20 against Nottinghamshire on 22 June 2009 and towards Asian players at Yorkshire by saying things like "what are the brothers doing for dinner?" between 2008 and 2014 and later.
Verdict Not proved
Charge Used the term "you lot" towards Rafiq and Rashid in the dressing room at Headingley prior to a county game against Derbyshire on 15 August 2012; Moin Ashraf at T20 finals day in August 2012; towards Asian players on other occasions at Headingley from 2008 onwards.
Verdict Not proved against Rafiq and Rashid, not proved against Ashraf, proved against other Asian players
Charge Used the terms "fit P***" and/or "FP" referring to Amna Rafiq at Headingley in April 2014 and/or about an Asian woman at the Yorkshire team's hotel bar in Birmingham the evening before a T20 against Warwickshire in July 2018; and/or about Asian women on other occasions in the Yorkshire environment in 2014 and/or 2017 and/or 2018.
Verdict All proved
Matthew Hoggard (Former England and Yorkshire fast bowler)
Charge Used the term "Rafa the K*****" towards Azeem Rafiq on several occasions between 2008 and 2009.
Verdict Proved
Charge Used the term "P***" towards Rafiq and other Asian players during the 2008 cricket season in the Yorkshire dressing room.
Verdict Proved
Charge Used the term "you lot" when referring to Rafiq and other Asian players in the Yorkshire dressing room, in contexts such as "you lot sit over there", in the 2008 and/or 2009 season.
Verdict Not proved
Charge Used the term "TBM" or "token black man" towards Ismail Dawood in 2004 and 2005 in the Yorkshire environment.
Verdict Proved
John Blain (Former Scotland fast bowler and Yorkshire coach)
Charge Used racist and/or discriminatory language in referring to Asian individuals as "P***" during pre-season training at Headingley in April 2010; and/or on other occasions at Yorkshire in 2010 and/or 2011.
Verdict Proved
Michael Vaughan (Former England and Yorkshire captain)
Charge Used racist and/or discriminatory language prior to the start of a T20 against Nottinghamshire in June 2009 by saying "there's too many of you lot, we need to have a word about that" or alternatively "there's too many of you lot" towards the four Asian players in the team, Rafiq, Rashid, Naved-ul-Hasan and Ajmal Shahzad.
Verdict Not proved
Richard Pyrah (Former Yorkshire bowling coach)
Charge Used the term "you lot" towards Rafiq before a T20 against Lancashire in June 2011 and towards Rafiq on other occasions in the period between 2008 and 2014 and/or in 2018
Verdict Not proved
Charge Used the term "fit P***" and/or "FP", referring to Amna Rafiq as "FP" at Headingley in April 2014 and on other occasions in the Yorkshire environment in 2014 and/or in 2018.
Verdict Both proved