Former Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jermaine Jenas has spoken out following his sacking by the BBC
Former Tottenham Hotspur star Jermaine Jenas has been dropped by the BBC amid allegations of inappropriate behaviour. The 41-year-old, known for his roles on The One Show and as a pundit on Match of the Day, was released from his duties with the broadcaster earlier this week.
A complaint about text messages sent to a female colleague last month led to an internal investigation, as reported by the Mirror. On Thursday at 3.39pm, Director of Sport Alex Kay-Jelski emailed staff stating: "I wanted to let you know that Jermaine Jenas is no longer working for the BBC."
A BBC spokesperson confirmed: "We can confirm that he is no longer part of our presenting lineup."
Jenas, through his representative, said: "Right now I can't talk about it. I can tell you I'm not happy - there are two sides to every story - and I'm going to be speaking with my lawyers on the issue", reports Football London.
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The Mirror has revealed that the reason behind Jenas' departure is related to claims of inappropriate conduct with a female BBC employee. According to BBC News, the allegations concern digital communications, including text messages.
Besides his recent TV work, Jenas was also the face of MOTDx, a show aimed at younger audiences which has since been cancelled. Before transitioning into broadcasting, he enjoyed a successful football career with Tottenham, QPR, Newcastle, and represented England 21 times.
Nonetheless, as the saga of his BBC departure unfolds, Jenas has already embarked on a new venture and joined talkSPORT as its lead presenter, collaborating with another ex-Premier League footballer, Jermaine Pennant, to co-host their drive-time programme.
Despite this bump in his career roadmap, Jenas had harboured hopes of taking over as host on 'Match of the Day', candidly admitting in 2021: "Match Of The Day is the biggest job on television, and if I ever got the opportunity of course I'd say yes."
Jenas also speculated on the future, saying: "When Gary decides to call it a day, I'm sure the BBC will have a look around and decide who's the best fit for the job."