Backlash Against Lara: Viv Richards, Carl Hooper Demand for Apology
Former West Indies captain Brian Lara is embroiled in a scandal after former teammates Carl Hooper and Vivian Richards demanded an apology from him. Hooper and Richards were furious with Lara for claiming, without evidence, that Richards’ tone in the dressing room was extremely scary and that he once a week brought Carl Hooper to tears. The comments offended Lara’s teammates, who demanded an apology from the legendary West Indies player.
“Sir Vivian Richards and Mr. Carl Hooper are deeply disheartened by the gross misrepresentations made about them in Mr. Brian Lara’s recently released book,” the duo said in a statement put out by Hooper.
“The allegations presented not only distort the reality of their relationship but also impugn their characters in an unjust and harmful manner,” said a statement.
In his book Lara: The England Chronicles, Lara made the claim. He wrote that Carl Hooper cried every week, while Richards used to make him cry once every three weeks. Lara stated that although Hooper avoided the renowned player, he was never impacted by Richards’ remarks since he had a strong personality.
“Viv used to make me cry every three weeks, but he would make Carl cry once a week. Viv’s tone of voice is intimidating and if you’re not strong enough, you can take that personally and be affected by it.
Me, I was never really affected by it. In a way I welcomed it, because I was so much under his arm that I knew abuse was coming and I was a strong personality. Carl? I know for a fact that Carl shied away from Viv Richards, ” wrote Lara.
Hooper, on the other hand, refuted any such occurrences and said that Vivian Richards never emotionally distressed him. He also added that Hooper was always a reassuring mentor and source of unshakable support.
“The claim that Sir Vivian was aggressive towards Mr. Hooper and made him cry once a week is categorically false. Such descriptions paint Sir Vivian as a perpetrator of emotional abuse — an assertion that is not only baseless but also deeply hurtful to both parties.
“Sir Vivian, as Mr. Hooper’s first captain, has never caused emotional distress to Mr. Hooper. On the contrary, he has always acted as an encouraging mentor and provided unwavering support. Their nearly
40-year relationship has been founded on mutual respect and camaraderie. The misrepresentation of their interactions in Mr. Lara’s book is a grave disservice to the truth and has caused undue distress to both parties and their families.”
Richards and Hooper asked Brian Lara to issue an apology for his baseless remarks.
“We demand that Mr. Lara immediately issues a public retraction of these false claims and offer a sincere apology for the harm caused. It is crucial for the integrity of public discourse and their personal and professional lives that the truth is set right.”
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