Announcer shouted ‘disgusting’ when two men kissed

David Simms said: ‘That’s disgusting – security, get rid of them.’ after the two men were shown on a screen at the home of Sheffield Steelers, South Yorkshire.

He said that it was a joke that he made on the cuff.

He said: ‘I am not homophobic,’ he said. ‘I haven’t got a bad bone in my body. If the comments made upset or offended anybody then of course I apologise completely.’

But now his bosses have admitted that his comments, made during the Sheffield Steelers v Coventry Blaze game on Saturday, were ‘foolish and thoughtless’.

Simms’ said after the incident: ‘It was a fun moment on the kiss-cam, we were flicking between different couples, we were trying to trying to offer tickets for the final of the Challenge Cup…and then the comment came out “Oh, Security, remove them immediately”.

‘Which again I apologised for if people take offence. Maybe I live in a different world, I can’t really see the offence I have caused.

‘But if people have been offended… people who know me know I don’t like to offend. And I am truly sorry if I did do.’

He insisted the vast majority of the fans understood he’d been joking, adding: ‘But in this day and aged you cannot upset one person. I perhaps live in a different world to a lot of people.

‘Unfortunately the world has moved on to a place that either I haven’t realised it’s got to or I am comfortable with.’

He said other remarks he’d made in the past has also been said in jest ‘and in previous times would have been treated as that.

‘But unfortunately I think there are some people who wake up looking to be offended.’

The club said in a statement said: ‘The match night announcer, David Simms, called the kissing of the two males “disgusting” and asked that they be removed.

‘This was a most regrettable incident which the Steelers realise has caused tremendous upset to some fans and in particular the LGBT community, many of whom are Steelers fans.

‘The Steelers wish to place on record their sincere apology to anyone who was upset by David’s comments and as an organisation we in no way condone them.

‘David Simms says he is very sorry that his comments have upset people, including those in the LGBT community, but that was not his intention.’

Steelers managing director Tony Smith said: ‘David’s actions on Saturday night were foolish and thoughtless – I have spoken to him at length and he is very sorry for all the hurt and upset he has caused to the LGBT community.

Source: http://metro.co.uk/2017/03/09/announcer-shouted-disgusting-when-two-men-kissed-on-kiss-cam-6498366/