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| Darts presenter Dave Clark condemned a Twitter message sent from the Ldbrokes account Sky Sports |
The bookmaker Ladbrokes has been condemned for its tweet mocking the Sky Sports presenter Dave Clark, who has Parkinson’s. The broadcaster, who is anchoring Sky Sports’ coverage of the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, was diagnosed with the disease six years ago.
In a now-deleted tweet Ladbrokes uploaded a photo of him and wrote: “Dave Clark looks like he’s caught the whiff of something nasty & wants to murder the person who’s caused it ... #LoveTheDarts.”
Clark responded on Thursday evening with a screen grab of Ladbrokes’ post alongside the message: “That’ll be the chronic degenerative neurological condition that will eventually rob me of the ability to walk, talk and smile @Ladbrokes #parkinsons”.
The gambling firm’s tweet caused uproar on social media and the former England and Newcastle striker Alan Shearer was among those expressing outrage. The 47-year-old quoted Clark’s tweet and wrote: “Wow! Two people tweeting. One is a gentleman, who inspires us all. The other a little prat on a keyboard hoping for a cheap laugh. I know who I stand with. You’re an inspiration Dave. Keep doing yourself and everyone else proud. #parkinsons #hero”.
Ladbrokes posted an apology on Friday morning for its “completely ill-judged and inappropriate tweet” and vowed to make a donation to the support and research charity Parkinson’s UK. Joanna Wright, the wife of Peter Wright, the No2 seed at Alexandra Palace, promised to donate the shirt and trousers her husband wore in his first-round victory for auction to raise further funds for the charity.
It is not the first time Ladbrokes has been subjected to a social media backlash over a post from its Twitter account. In September the bookmaker apologised to Burnley for “very poorly conceived tweets” sent about the former Leeds players Chris Wood and Charlie Taylor during a Carabao Cup tie between the two clubs.
Ladbrokes, Burnley’s official UK betting partner, had sent a message addressed to Wood and Taylor, followed by an image of a raised middle finger and the words: “Yours sincerely, Leeds fans #LUFC.”
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/dec/22/ladbrokes-tweet-parkinsons-dave-clark-pdc-world-darts
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