Marvin Bartley has issued a lengthy criticism of Tam Cowan following an alleged racism incident at a match involving Dundee United and Hibs on October 11.
Straight away there was discomfort about the incident with Bartley highlighting his obvious concerns.
Initially a statement from both clubs claimed that the comments made were derogatory but not racist which was enough for Cowan to wade in on Bartley.
Only a complete fool would disregard the prospect of a racist element to comments made by a 95% plus white crowd at a Scottish football match.
A follow up investigation by Hibs reported that the abuse was racist.
Cowan loves to play the banter guy, loves his fitbaw n that, pure working class fitbaw fan but now and then he oversteps the mark such as a banter filled attack on Woman’s Football that saw him suspended for a while by BBC Scotland before a 180 degree turnaround to save his long running gig.
The Motherwell ‘funny-man’ is a favourite on the after-dinner circuit, sharing his wacky banter with other pasty faced middle aged white men.
Bartley is a regular on BBC Scotland’s football coverage with Cowan providing alternative content.
Tam I really can’t believe you went on national radio and peddled out lie after lie. You attacked me and started a narrative on the back of an ‘inconclusive’ original outcome into something that has now been proven to be racist.
Why did you feel the need to attack and bully me pic.twitter.com/azwj0ukjoU— Marvin Bartley (@dothebartman1) December 15, 2022
personally on this subject, so much so you went away from the truth and so many guidelines that the BBC have in place to stop things like this happening.
You talk about mental health on social media but where was your care or consideration for mine or anyone who has come forward pic.twitter.com/Qb3rBgavOL— Marvin Bartley (@dothebartman1) December 15, 2022
to say that what was actually said was “fuck you…. You black bastard”.
Do you have any idea what that pain feels like to hear someone racially abused who looks like you?
You don’t realise your words cause sleepless nights, have people abuse others on the back of listening to pic.twitter.com/KHmeqSTYR6— Marvin Bartley (@dothebartman1) December 15, 2022
didn’t happen?
How you’ve been allowed to continue that bullying on air without your producer even stopping you makes me extremely concerned.
The glee in your voice when you made the offer for me to come onto your show to apologise and you accused me of laying low on social— Marvin Bartley (@dothebartman1) December 15, 2022
media because I’ve made a “big big blooper, it was a proper cock up”. You’ve tried to cause a divide between me and Dundee United fans by saying some are up in arms because I accused them which I never did and you know that, you’ve said this only to direct hatred towards me and
— Marvin Bartley (@dothebartman1) December 15, 2022
create conflict. All of this because I’ve called out someone shouting at a football stadium “fuck you…. You black bastard”
You’ve tried and tried to get a reaction from myself and Eilidh ever since she walked out of the writers awards for comments made by an after dinner— Marvin Bartley (@dothebartman1) December 15, 2022
speaker that were racist to the Japanese players of Celtic and insulting to all from their country, sexist to every woman in the land and homophobic too. On the back of this what did you do? You said she couldn’t take a joke.
Then you came as a guest speaker at the end of season— Marvin Bartley (@dothebartman1) December 15, 2022
awards at Livingston football club and you mentioned her walking out of the writers awards around 10 times. So much so every player wanted to walk out but I stopped that because I didn’t want you to ruin their evening or the fans evening after what was a successful season. Then
— Marvin Bartley (@dothebartman1) December 15, 2022
there is this. You know no boundaries and if you think you have to be horrible to others to get a laugh, clearly you’re not that funny.
You didn’t leave it at bullying me or a personal attack on the radio though did you? You then went and attacked me on your social media with— Marvin Bartley (@dothebartman1) December 15, 2022
more lies and misinformation. In hope of what Tam? Why more lies? Do you not care that a person within a stadium called someone a “Black bastard”?
You will never deter me from standing up for what I believe is right, against all forms of discrimination. I will fiercely defend
— Marvin Bartley (@dothebartman1) December 15, 2022
my partner and anyone else who is bullied when all they’re doing is trying to make the world a better place. I’ll give it to you, your words did get to me and cut extremely deep and had a negative effect but now I will use this as energy to help others who don’t have the support
— Marvin Bartley (@dothebartman1) December 15, 2022
network that I do around me.
— Marvin Bartley (@dothebartman1) December 15, 2022
I have,it’s shocking.
— Fairhill Bhoy (@james_hainie) December 15, 2022
Fair play Marvin. TC has been getting away with this stuff for a while and well done for calling him out. It’s a real pity that @Detroit67Book decided to jump in with TC and try to conflate racism with calling someone “fat”. BBC should be doing something about it!
— Andy F (@drew_boy100) December 15, 2022
His comments have been shocking trying to make out you deliberately lied plenty of people gave their opinion after hearing the clip and have been proved right he’s showing himself to be a nasty vile person
— Chris (@Christo20805012) December 15, 2022
Hard to ignore an onslaught like that from a couple of dinosaurs like Cowan and Cosgrove but Marvin you have articulated your response impeccably. Not one for cancel culture but Off The Ball should be off the air after this! Best wishes to @dothebartman1 & @EilidhBarbour ??
— PedroMickBeale1872 (@ElPedro1872) December 15, 2022
“At’s bruwyint” Tam Cowan is one of the reasons Scottish football is such a backwater.
He is part of the good old boy culture that perpetuates the status quo of corrupt officials and governing bodies.
I had the misfortune recently of hearing him slobbering about Souness and McCoist’s performances in Qatar. His nose must now be a rich shade of brown.
He has also been attacking Celtic supporters on social media who have the temerity to address issues that the SMSM choose to ignore.
The worst example of his sucking up involved Cheatin’ Beaton, with whom he expressed great sympathy for being criticised for having a drink in his local after the now infamous huns game where Morelos was allowed to kick Celtic players with impunity.
The local was the Bellshill sevco supporters pub where Beaton was pictured enjoying a good time with fellow huns after the game.
Cowan perpetrates the worst kind of deception, portraying questionable behaviour as being entirely innocent, and attacking anyone who questions such behaviour.
He has no talent of any kind, is not funny, is semi literate and ignorant of anything related to football or indeed decent behaviour.
He enables bigotry and racism and should be nowhere near any kind of media or popular culture medium in the 21st century.
It is also time his much better educated co presenter took him to task about all of the foregoing.
Spot on Tony. With guys like Cowan around nothing will change here. Any time anyone criticises a ref he’s straight out with the “I know him he’s a good guy he’d never cheat” pish as if him knowing someone automatically absolves them of all sin! He’s a fud from an era that should have been put in the grave with the huns years sgo.
I heard Cowan and his pal on Off the Ball were paid 450 grand a year for their “Banter” on the Radio Scotland. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what they were paid!
I never liked Cowan. His jokes always contained the lowest kind of humour, lower even than sarcasm, actually!
It was obvious he was a “Proddy” from his small-talk. In a two horse race situation, as it is here in the WOS, that was always going to be detrimental to the other side, that of the Catholics, or in the main, Celtic supporters. That bother him not!
For years his “Act” contained jokes about contraception, sexual innuendo and the likes and some really offensive comments were intertwined through his radio “Performances”.
It never seemed to bother him, the state broadcaster or anybody else either!
He never held back, oblivious to the offence he was causing to those who took a moral position on these subjects. And just like as in the “Jimmy Saville” case, he just seemed to “Get Away With It”.
Now it all seems to have all caught up with him!
But his employer as as culpable as him, for giving him the platform and the money to develop his shady character fully, right up to it’s natural conclusion.
He shouldn’t have been given the opportunity and he wouldn’t be missed for one minute by me!