Kris Boyd crossed a number of lines last night as he tore into Leigh Griffiths following Celtic’s win away to Kilmarnock.
Mental Health issues are best avoided in punditry, if you want to venture in you do so sympathetically. It is a vast issue and no one should know that better than the former Kilmarnock striker
‘Getting Tour Head Back In The Game’ is the name of the charity that Boyd set up in 2016 after his younger brother took his own life.
On his website Boyd explains:
Life is not a bed of roses for sports personalities as much as one you believe, with this charity I want to aim to end the stigma with sports and mental health.
The charity has a number of workshops where Boyd and others such as Andy McLaren visit schools in Glasgow and Ayrshire to discuss mental health issues.
With his media platforms the former Scotland striker could be a real role model to help others. Unfortunately his dislike for Celtic is all consuming, his ‘nice guy/charity’ remit is cast aside when it comes to matters green and white.
Writing off Griffiths in December is the sort of thing pundits do, when Griffiths picks him out after scoring in successive games in January the bigger man takes it on the chin rather than launching into a fresh attack based on dubious facts.
The real facts were on the pitch at Rugby Park, if Griffiths continues his comeback his story is far more inspiring than someone holding mental health workshops during the day then slaughtering someone with those issues on national television.
Kris Boyd, who lost his own brother due to mental health issues, ambassador of his own mental health charity has just criticised Leigh Griffiths for missing games due to mental heath issues. I can’t believe I’ve just witnessed it and had to type this tweet. Disgusting.
— Kev (@kev_b_) January 22, 2020
Kris Boyd hammering @Leighgriff09 on @ScotlandSky is joke. 34 appearances in 135 league games because he stepped away from the game due to mental health issues. NOT because he wasn’t pulling his weight in training. How are players meant to be more open about issues ? #CelticFC pic.twitter.com/t2nHs5N7sP
— James Mckenna (@thejamesmckenna) January 22, 2020
Surely @SkySports don’t condone Kris Boyd’s despicable & disgusting comments aimed at Leigh Griffiths, a man who has been battling mental health problems? Using irrelevant stats that “don’t lie” to question Griffiths mental strength & attitude was a new low for both Boyd & Sky.
— Brian McNally (@McNallyMirror) January 22, 2020
Celtic need to really come out and slam this tomorrow. This isn’t football opinion stuff, this is ignorant, hypocritical, personal, dangerous vitriol. https://t.co/9R00IL1aMM
— Stevie Jackson (@bobby__peru) January 22, 2020
Ambassador of a mental health charity..yet publicly slates a fellow professional,who has had time away from the game for that very reason! Top guy kris boyd!!
— Carrieokke ?? (@Caramac_67) January 22, 2020
Kris Boyd runs a mental health charity yet here he is tearing into Griffiths for not playing much when he’s been absent due to mental health issues?
— Rachael (@maradoddsy7) January 22, 2020
Leigh Griffiths missed so many games because of his off field problems.. for someone who has a mental health charity maybe Kris Boyd should think about that before dishing out the “stats” and hammering him for not training right
— SPFL Banter *** (@splbanter) January 22, 2020
Kris Boyd, who is the ambassador of his own mental health charity, slating Leigh Griffiths for only playing 35 of 135 matches since Rodgers came in during a period of which Griffiths missed due to mental health issues.
Top punditry. ???— Papa Beans (@fatboybeans) January 22, 2020