One can only wonder if Jamie Carragher would have ever spit on one of his rivals during his 17-year career as a defender for Premier League Club Liverpool, a prominent soccer team in England. Though soccer players tend to spit often, this maneuver is especially sickening when carried out upon a person.
This didn’t seem to stop Jamie Carragher since a video surfaced on March 10 of him doing that exact thing. The clip shows Carragher spitting on a 14-year-old girl after her father taunts the soccer player following a loss – all of this occurring while the two men drive along a highway. Viewers are able to hear the teen voice that Carragher had spit on her as the video comes to an end.
Though some might say that reaching this level of spit-trading intimacy with one’s idol is a dream come true, this vile act proves Carragher’s disgusting nature, and an apology isn’t going to cut it — not that he’s offered a real apology since the incident.
Numerous sites like ESPN.com have broadcasted Carragher’s post-incident statements regarding the fan’s daughter, where he said, “I wish she wasn’t involved. I hate that she was involved more than anything.”
As a man hoping to preserve his image, Carragher’s “apology” lacks sincerity and it doesn’t really address the fact that spitting at anyone, regardless of age, is not okay. His statements really only prove his sole intention of trying to prevent himself from being negatively labeled.
Unfortunately for him, it seems as though many people, including his employer, feel the same way. Carragher was suspended from his job as a TV commentator for Sky Zone. Though his formal punishment has not yet been determined, one can only hope that strong action will further condemn this unprofessional behavior. After all, as a representative of Sky Zone and as a Liverpool alumni, he has tarnished their image instead of improving it through his despicable actions.
Regardless of his punishment, Carragher’s legacy will never be the same. Carragher must understand that with fame comes responsibility, and spitting on fans is not the type of publicity that will endear him to the public.
